Phelps, no question. All strokes in swimming are way different. I easily can do back and free in state but I haven't even won a dual meet in breaststroke. I also run middle distance and was top 100 in state (not that good, but enough to know what I am talking about,) and middle distance/distance/sprinting are way closer to being the same than swimming strokes. Swimming strokes require 4 different talents. Usain could win all races from 80m -300m and is really good, but Phelps can win from 100-400 in 2 or 3 strokes. If Bolt could pace in an 800 and win the 400 along with the 200 and 100 he would be equivalent to phelps.
Usain Bolt . Awesome the best. In Olympic history . What ever happen to the Americans white boys.
One little Island Vs The USA
But the Americans are the best.
Question?To the so "Powerful Americans". What Happen? .Ups not enough Steroids ,this time .
What bothers me is .Why is it when the U.S. can't defeat. The other opponent .They must question that opponent . But not their own. No one can question Americans . No one.
Viva Usain Bolt .
Viva JAMAICA .
shikia dargo - 12 years ago
Usai bolt is way better so more people should start voting fo him you rule Usain
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
Anyway you rule Usain Bolt
Glen - 12 years ago
Only a "handful" of countries care about swimming, however track & field is a global sport therefore the whole world (except America) knows that Bolt is the best.
Julian - 12 years ago
For argument sake,
Bolt and Phelps in a stadium on 2 separate days at the same entry fee for the patrons. Which sportsman would pull more patrons out to full the stadium.
Wayne - 12 years ago
Oh, one more thing. The person who says Carl Lewis was more impressive has no clue what they are talking about. Carl Lewis never did what Bolt has done, Bolt holds 3 world records. Not to mention Carl Lewis tested positive for a banned substance. It's funny how Americans ignore that simple fact.
Wayne - 12 years ago
After reading all these comments saying Phelps is the greatest, is really annoying. Let's take a look at the sports. Swimming to track is essentially apples to oranges. Phelps, 4 Olympics, 22 medals. Now how many events did Phelps compete in? 2 events in 2000 8 events in 2004, 8 in 2008 and 6 in 2012. A total of 26 events over 4 Olympics. Swimming, is the only sport in the Olympics that allows anyone to compete in that many events. The training for most strokes is essentially the same.
Now Bolt, 2 Olympics 3 events each. No, he will never win as many medals as Phelps, well because Track does not allow you to compete in as many events. Why? The training differs according to the event. It is easier for a swimmer to compete in one event, then another 30 minutes later. No sprinter has dominated the way Bolt has. 6 gold medals in 6 events and the holder of 3 world records in only 2 Olympics.
How can you crown someone the greatest when the only other people who will ever come close to being able to compete for as much medals is either a swimmer or gymnast? Oh, not to mention he never dominated in every Olympics he's been in.
Chad - 12 years ago
Carl Lewis was more impressive by winning more events over a longer time with a larger margin of victory in the 100. Can we change the debate to Phelps vs. Lewis?
Angel - 12 years ago
This is an American poll so of course Phelps would win. Ask the rest of the world and Usain would win handily. Phelps is talented but I was not sure he really wanted to be there. Bolt made the Olympics so exciting! Imagine the Olympics without him! His humor, his light-heartedness, his focus, his confidence and hard work , his wanting it so badly (more than Phelps) was so refreshing! Magnificent! Greater Olympian.!
Tom Jones - 12 years ago
Ali was cute but Bolt is insufferable? Phelps has been well schooled but Bolt is real. I prefer to see a hero in a room with 3 leggy Swedish handball players than with a bong! Nevertheless, personality is not a measure of greatness. Bolt is a phenomenal athlete. Like a cheetah is a phenomenal animal. I could watch both run forever.
Mr Reality - 12 years ago
Let's run the 100m backwards. Sideways. Hop and skip. Then the 200m. Then add the 50m for all categories. Then add the walk. How many medals are we talking about now? Swimming medals are a joke.
T.J. SWINNEY - 12 years ago
As far as am concern Bolt has no respect . You saw on T.V. what kind of a jerk he is and mouth off in front of people . I have heard about it and heard enough . Phelps .... no question about it . He is simply the BEST .
Anika - 12 years ago
To whoever said Phelps' wins didn't count because of the 'high tech suit' you need to remember that EVERYONE who competed in the finals of the swimming events in Beijin were wearing that same suit. Countries allowed their swimmers to wear them and even competing companies allowed their athletes to wear the high tech speedo suit. So that argument doesn't hold water.
sportsfan - 12 years ago
Setting their acomplishments aside for just a moment, I believe one of the measures of a true
sportsman is the ability to be humble. I just have a hard time listening to someone praise
their own selves over and over again regardles of what they just did. Leave the praise up to the fans and show a little humility.
Fanfare - 12 years ago
Well some of Phelps medals were won with the help of that special full body suit they had back in 2004 something that has been banned since, I am pretty sure that without that Mr Phelps wouldn't have as many medals as he has. He's good, but he's not the greatest of all times, once again the American endemic case of egotistical delusions wins over facts.
Maris 61 - 12 years ago
This discussion is not even worth having. Phelps is the greatest olympian, winter or summer, of all time. Look at the medal count for crissakes! 22-6. I doubt Bolt will win any more gold... Maybe one or two more silver or bronze. He'll NEVER catch Phelps.
Who's the genius who put this poll up?
Crip - 12 years ago
I say, let the women decide. And, most women will tell you that they would rather have Phelps for over a minute than to see Usain 'bolt' in under 10 seconds!
x - 12 years ago
Bolt is no Olympian. He's merely a pandering, ego-manical jerk who happens to take 10-12 less steps on his way to the finish line. Maybe if he spent as much working on his poor starts as he does talking about himself and "basking in [his own] glory", he might have my sympathies, but as of now as far as I'm concerned the sooner Bolt goes away the better.
Geegz - 12 years ago
I'm disappointed in my fellow American's chauvinistic ignorance in this debate. I'm sure if this poll was up on guardian.co.uk or any other international publication the results would be a lot different. Bolt is so far and away the greater Olympian and athlete but the fact that Phelps has more over-all medals and is American is why he's dominating in this poll. You've gotta take into account that he's not even the fastest swimmer. If he was winning the 50m free, 100m free, 200m free, etc., then maybe we'd have an argument, but his specialty is the gimmick swims that aren't the fastest, most efficient way to get from point A to point B. Phelps is a great butterfly and individual medley swimmer and a great teammate on an extremely dominant US swim team (40% of his career Olympic medals came from relays). Usain Bolt is, simply put, the fastest man to ever live. And the only man to sweep the 100m and 200m (two of the glamour, emblematic Olympic events that will always be as much regardless of who's competing in them) at consecutive Games. And he did it in jaw-dropping, unforgettable style and entertained before, during, and after making history with his unrivaled showmanship.
Victor - 12 years ago
Bolt, but it is not that crisp and easy as many people claim here. Each of them has their own cases. Clearly, swimmers being able to compete in so many events creates a huge advantage for them, and he has won the most number of medals no doubt about these point. On paper Phelps is the greatest ever.
I believe, we have look beyond these to have a more satisfactory answer:
1. PERFECTING NATURE GIVEN TALENT: Whether Phelps would be what he is today if he has not swum for 6+ hours 6 days a week in 20+ years. Probably not. On the other hand Bolt is a nature-given talent and he perfected it in a few years to be what he is today. If you believe that working hard and doing nothing else in your life for 25 years is the criterion to be the greatest Olympian ever, you already picked you winner, Phelps. However, my take is different. Perfecting the nature given talent in a way nobody has done in history is the criterion in my mind.
2. DOMINATING THE COMPETITION: Clearly people have done comparable things to Phelps has done in the last 100 years. Such as Spitz etc. But nobody dominated the great spectator sports of sprints as Bolt did in the history. Jesse Owens could have, if there were no 2nd world war, but we will never know.
3. APPEAL OF THE EVENTS TO AUDIENCE: Everybody wants to be a fast runner as a kid, this is the first thing they do, they run and they want to run fast, this is human nature. The events Bolt is competing in has a natural great appeal to the world population with respect to what Phelps is competing in. Water is foreign to humans, we are land mammals. Running appeals to all of us, much more than swimming. (That is the reason Phelps had to work forever to be good at what he is good at. The poor guy has had no other life other than swimming in a pool.)
Hence, I believe these three criteria declare Bolt to be the greatest in the 21st century: His natural talent, his unimaginable domination in his events in the history of competition, and the appeal of events he is competing in to the world population.
He has a good case to be in top 3 in the whole history of olympics.
mike - 12 years ago
Bolt can't finish Phelps warmup.
Ken - 12 years ago
Ben,
A whole CONTINENT doesn't swim? I assume you mean Africa...but I guess you haven't heard of the countries of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Tunisia, who all have had their own Olympic medal success recently.
And where does FASTEST equal GREATEST Olympian? So you're saying that if you compete in any event that lasts longer than 10 or 20 seconds, you can't be considered greatest Olympian?
Newsflash, buddy, swimming is global. And Michael Phelps is unquestionably the greatest Olympian ever.
Jim M - 12 years ago
To everyone trying to diminish what Phelps has done by saying "there are so many swimming events"...
You miss the point, by 180 degrees. This is exactly WHY Phelps is so great. The track equivalent would be for Bolt to enter (and win) the 100 hurdles, the 400, the 4x400, and maybe the 400 hurdles and the long jump in addition to his sprints. (That would be 8 events, roughly as varied in technique and range of endurance as what Phelps did in Beijing).
The whole problem with this "greatest Olympian of the 21st century" argument is that the Phelps fans define it on purely athletic terms (in which case, Phelps wins by roughly the 22-6 medal count margin) and the Bolt proponents define things like "marketability" and "showmanship". Within those constraints, both are right.
chris Jagoe - 12 years ago
Having been both a competitive youth swimmer (regional swim champion in Texas) and track athlete (Junior international) I have to say Bolt takes it. I swam 25m/50m freestyle, IM, 25m back, freestyle/IM relay in 1 day to win in swimming, but ran just 3 rounds of 200m in the UK National Schools championship to win that and found the latter MUCH harder. As has been mentioned, several swimmers in history have won multiple medals over several Olympics, but only Bolt has done the double in sprints twice. So what it comes down to is this: who has the most golds/total medals - Phelps. No doubt, no question. Who has done something no one else has? Bolt. But who has won 5 golds in 5 separate Olympics while competing in just 1 event each time: Steve Redgrave in rowing - think about that people.
JW - 12 years ago
Bolt, without a doubt. ANYONE, anywhere in the world, can watch him sprint, and their jaw will drop. Anyone can recognize the sheer dominance when watching him run past the competition. Running is human.
Watching Michael Phelps? Well, it's pretty much forgettable. The commentators may go nuts about it, but no one has to tell you when Bolt does something special -- you can already tell.
Ben - 12 years ago
You guys are crazy. He isn't even the fastest swimmer. It is like saying race-walker is a better athlete. Maybe if was a freestyle champion we could talk, but he is not. There are way more swimming events. What are we going to say when Missy Franklin breaks his record of medals. Also a whole continent doesn't event compete in swimming, and as a continent they are pretty special in track and field. This is not even a competition. Please take off your USA goggles.
Didi - 12 years ago
I have incredible respect for both athletes! But if you have to tell everyone you’re a legend, are you??? Phelp has repeated his performance time and time again without once screaming into the cameras “I’m a legend, I’m amazing”. Phelps lets his performance speak for its self. Bolt has incredible talent and I loved watching him perform, however if you have to advertise/market that you’re a legend, are you???
haris - 12 years ago
Phelps Wins!!
Reasons: He is the first male swimmer to be a 3 time champion in 2 different events. He has 18 gold, and 22 total medals compared to 6 medals of Bolt.
Even though Bolt won the 100 and 200(AMAZING), phelps is still better because he competes in more events. 6 in Athens. 8 in Beijing. 7 in London. For Bolt to stand up next to Phelps he needs to have more events.
It took Phelps 4 olympics to get 22 medals. I am not too sure but Bolt has 6 and it took him 2 olympics. so he needs 16 more medals in the next 2 olympics. Thats a pretty tall order. He has to do the exact same thing as phelps did in Beijing, and TWICE.
Lastly, to be a winner at 2 or 3 things is pretty good however, to be a winner at multiple things such as 6,7,8 is amazing.
Joe - 12 years ago
Virtually everyone on the planet (except the disabled) runs as a child. If you're fast, you'll be identified as having potential and eventually race. It is virtually certain that no one on the planet is faster than Bolt.
An small percentage of the people on this planet swim as a child. Even if a poor person does swim, it's unlikely they have the resources to get access to a pool often enough to become an Olympic swimmer. Thus it is very likely that someone besides Phelps is the best swimmer on the planet. They just were never identified as having that talent.
It's Bolt without a doubt.
andy - 12 years ago
To be considered a great Olympian, an athlete must possess both outward and internal qualities that are higher than ordinary person. The greatness of Phelps had been shown in his games and in his humility while Bolt's in his physical speed. It does not matter how many games they performed. To me, Phelps is greater Olympian because greatness goes both with excellence and humility.
Joe Blow - 12 years ago
Within the confines of USA, it's Phelps. And outside USA, Bolt. How many countries compete in swimming? How many people watch or care about swimming? Synchronized swimmers are amongst the best athletes, but who cares? Olmpics are about track. Gymnastics, swimming, rowing, snoring...all filler sports.
sxyjerry01 - 12 years ago
Why are comparing them, they are both grate at what they do. We need to stop. Let us all stop HATING.
Ken - 12 years ago
@Gaonan:
I agree. Could you imagine Jesse Owens acting like Usain Bolt?
Michael Phelps has handled his celebrity much more humbly than Bolt. I would rather Bolt just shut up and praise others, aka Emil Zatopek, and let his racing do the talking for him.
Dumb Canadian - 12 years ago
Hey Smart Canadian,
22 Olympic medals,
18 gold.
No contest. Phelps is the king.
You're so cute with your anti-American rhetoric. Sorry there's nobody from Canada that can be remotely included in this debate...lol
Smart Canadian? - 12 years ago
Smart Canadian, the Russian gymnast used to be the greatest Olympian of the 21st century until this Month.... Not so smart are ya?
WJS - 12 years ago
In my opinion, Phelps is the greatest ever. I keep seeing comments that if there were a 110, 120, 130, 140... etc, then Usain Bolt would win them all and this is equivalent to what Michael Phelps is doing. Michael Phelps competes in all strokes and multiple distances in these strokes, and if you did any homework you'd discover that Bolt's three races were spread out over four days and Phelps seven races were over five days. As a former national class swimmer specializing in just my one event, I can't imagine anything harder than defeating the rest of the world in multiple events where everyone specializes in their their one and only event.
Gaonan - 12 years ago
While nobody can deny that Bolt is awesome, what I feel keeps him being able to be the Greatest is his brashness and cockyness and sense of entitlement. the in your face attitude is a real turn off. IMO he is not a role model for the masses. His personality reminds of Chad Ochochinco Johnson who just lost what is probably his last job in the NFL due to that same type of personality and sense of entitlement.
Smart Canadian - 12 years ago
It's swimming versus track. Did anybody ever regard that Russian gymnast as the greatest ever, prior to Phelps breaking her record? So why is Phelps now touted as the greatest? American propaganda! How many countries do you think regard Phelps? Bolt is a god! If somebody soon breaks his records, then his stock will come crashing down. But right now, he's the main man!
Omah - 12 years ago
They are both great !!! Why are we comparing them? One swims and one runs, they are not triathletes competing in triathlon. I love them both !
Michael - 12 years ago
Greatness is about consistency over time and variety of greatness. While Bolt is the fastest sprinter on land of all time (which is exciting)... Phelps has been the top in his sport over time and has done it over multiple types of races. If Bolt also won the high jump, triple jump, 100 and 200 meters, and relay... he could contend with Michael. If not, Phelps rules the Olympics!
JayMo - 12 years ago
I'll take Bolt. Phelps built his medals through 4 Olympics, sometimes barely squeaking out a gold. Or barely squeaking out any medal for that matter. Bolt has destroyed his competition in every race and sets a record nearly every time he runs. And winning back to back golds in BOTH 100 and 200 has never been done. EVER. Sure Phelps has more medals but he's been in twice as many events and twice as many Olympics.
Ken - 12 years ago
Seriously, how can the two be compared? Bolt isn't even the best track and field athlete ever--he's behind Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis at the least.
22 Olympic Medals, 18 Gold for Micheal Phelps. End of story, case closed.
competitor - 12 years ago
Bolt is better. He has competition from all 200+ nations in the Olympic games.
Phelps is good, but swimming is practiced with high standards in only a small portion of these countries (the rich ones, or big cities in less development countries)
Grant Who - 12 years ago
Hey Grant- "the select few" that Phelps beat? What world are you living in bud? Think its time you woke the hell up and took notice...
Marc Shaner - 12 years ago
Can Bolt even finish a mile? I'd like to see that.
matt - 12 years ago
22 medals to 6 medals? how is this even an argument.
Fred Smerlas - 12 years ago
For anyone to compare these two athletes- it's like comparing apples to oranges. I will say that, while Bolt is clearly the fastest man in short sprints, Phelps dominated at various strokes and various distances. In my book, there's far more that goes into what Phelps did than what Bolt did. Bolt is impressive, but we're talking about 100 and 200 meters running- that take under 10 and under 20 seconds. No endurance factor here. To all the naysayers on swimming in general, try to finish- never mind compete and win- the 400 IM. Best of luck to you all- you will need it. I can run 200 meters with my eyes closed.
maddmaxx - 12 years ago
There is no need to do this , they are both great at what they do . Bolt is a legend so you all can stop with your little set backs it wont work!!!first carla lewis try to pud a dark cloud over bolts success now this . T world is saying bolt --- hate it or love it bolt almost single handily put back life into a dieing sport mainly track and field , he showed the world that one can be fast and run clean-- he show that one don't have to be doping like carla lewis or justin gatlin to win .
Charles Possenriede - 12 years ago
Bolt is a great athlete but you can't compare him to Phelps. Swimming with its varied swim strokes makes it a much more difficult sport to master than running especially running sprints. Phelps put in many more hours of training to do what he did then Bolt did to do what he did. Now if Bolt won the gold in the 400 meters too then I might have to reconsider my view.
Grant - 12 years ago
Bolt is superior. Not even close. Give Bolt the 80, 120, 140, 160, 180, 220, and a couple more relays and he wins them all. Swimming has more similar events than track - isn't the top medal winner ALWAYS a swimmer? I feel confident that no human alive under any circumstances could beat Bolt. How many people that you know ever swam a race? Whereas virtually everyone reading this ran the 100m at some point. Bolt beat the world - Phelps beat the select few who tried swimming.
adam - 12 years ago
If Bolt wins gold in 2016 Olympics, then we should have this conversation. Olympics should be about competition, not about hype.
Sam Misra - 12 years ago
Phelps is the Greatest sportsman of the Century. My Best Wishes and Regards to him.
CvB - 12 years ago
Bolt by a long shot....Phelps records are equivalent to Bolt running the 100, 110, 120, 125, 150, 175 and 200 meter dashes and winning them all (which he would).
2pac - 12 years ago
Americans should support Phelps. It is a close call. Bolt has another olympics... Phelps says he's not going to Rio.
At the end of the day, we can compare rap sheets and see.
Paq - 12 years ago
Hard to say. Isinbayeva must be in that category too. Why do we always want to know who is the greatest? They all are.....
Phelps, no question. All strokes in swimming are way different. I easily can do back and free in state but I haven't even won a dual meet in breaststroke. I also run middle distance and was top 100 in state (not that good, but enough to know what I am talking about,) and middle distance/distance/sprinting are way closer to being the same than swimming strokes. Swimming strokes require 4 different talents. Usain could win all races from 80m -300m and is really good, but Phelps can win from 100-400 in 2 or 3 strokes. If Bolt could pace in an 800 and win the 400 along with the 200 and 100 he would be equivalent to phelps.
Usain Bolt . Awesome the best. In Olympic history . What ever happen to the Americans white boys.
One little Island Vs The USA
But the Americans are the best.
Question?To the so "Powerful Americans". What Happen? .Ups not enough Steroids ,this time .
What bothers me is .Why is it when the U.S. can't defeat. The other opponent .They must question that opponent . But not their own. No one can question Americans . No one.
Viva Usain Bolt .
Viva JAMAICA .
Usai bolt is way better so more people should start voting fo him you rule Usain
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
Usain Bolt
Anyway you rule Usain Bolt
Only a "handful" of countries care about swimming, however track & field is a global sport therefore the whole world (except America) knows that Bolt is the best.
For argument sake,
Bolt and Phelps in a stadium on 2 separate days at the same entry fee for the patrons. Which sportsman would pull more patrons out to full the stadium.
Oh, one more thing. The person who says Carl Lewis was more impressive has no clue what they are talking about. Carl Lewis never did what Bolt has done, Bolt holds 3 world records. Not to mention Carl Lewis tested positive for a banned substance. It's funny how Americans ignore that simple fact.
After reading all these comments saying Phelps is the greatest, is really annoying. Let's take a look at the sports. Swimming to track is essentially apples to oranges. Phelps, 4 Olympics, 22 medals. Now how many events did Phelps compete in? 2 events in 2000 8 events in 2004, 8 in 2008 and 6 in 2012. A total of 26 events over 4 Olympics. Swimming, is the only sport in the Olympics that allows anyone to compete in that many events. The training for most strokes is essentially the same.
Now Bolt, 2 Olympics 3 events each. No, he will never win as many medals as Phelps, well because Track does not allow you to compete in as many events. Why? The training differs according to the event. It is easier for a swimmer to compete in one event, then another 30 minutes later. No sprinter has dominated the way Bolt has. 6 gold medals in 6 events and the holder of 3 world records in only 2 Olympics.
How can you crown someone the greatest when the only other people who will ever come close to being able to compete for as much medals is either a swimmer or gymnast? Oh, not to mention he never dominated in every Olympics he's been in.
Carl Lewis was more impressive by winning more events over a longer time with a larger margin of victory in the 100. Can we change the debate to Phelps vs. Lewis?
This is an American poll so of course Phelps would win. Ask the rest of the world and Usain would win handily. Phelps is talented but I was not sure he really wanted to be there. Bolt made the Olympics so exciting! Imagine the Olympics without him! His humor, his light-heartedness, his focus, his confidence and hard work , his wanting it so badly (more than Phelps) was so refreshing! Magnificent! Greater Olympian.!
Ali was cute but Bolt is insufferable? Phelps has been well schooled but Bolt is real. I prefer to see a hero in a room with 3 leggy Swedish handball players than with a bong! Nevertheless, personality is not a measure of greatness. Bolt is a phenomenal athlete. Like a cheetah is a phenomenal animal. I could watch both run forever.
Let's run the 100m backwards. Sideways. Hop and skip. Then the 200m. Then add the 50m for all categories. Then add the walk. How many medals are we talking about now? Swimming medals are a joke.
As far as am concern Bolt has no respect . You saw on T.V. what kind of a jerk he is and mouth off in front of people . I have heard about it and heard enough . Phelps .... no question about it . He is simply the BEST .
To whoever said Phelps' wins didn't count because of the 'high tech suit' you need to remember that EVERYONE who competed in the finals of the swimming events in Beijin were wearing that same suit. Countries allowed their swimmers to wear them and even competing companies allowed their athletes to wear the high tech speedo suit. So that argument doesn't hold water.
Setting their acomplishments aside for just a moment, I believe one of the measures of a true
sportsman is the ability to be humble. I just have a hard time listening to someone praise
their own selves over and over again regardles of what they just did. Leave the praise up to the fans and show a little humility.
Well some of Phelps medals were won with the help of that special full body suit they had back in 2004 something that has been banned since, I am pretty sure that without that Mr Phelps wouldn't have as many medals as he has. He's good, but he's not the greatest of all times, once again the American endemic case of egotistical delusions wins over facts.
This discussion is not even worth having. Phelps is the greatest olympian, winter or summer, of all time. Look at the medal count for crissakes! 22-6. I doubt Bolt will win any more gold... Maybe one or two more silver or bronze. He'll NEVER catch Phelps.
Who's the genius who put this poll up?
I say, let the women decide. And, most women will tell you that they would rather have Phelps for over a minute than to see Usain 'bolt' in under 10 seconds!
Bolt is no Olympian. He's merely a pandering, ego-manical jerk who happens to take 10-12 less steps on his way to the finish line. Maybe if he spent as much working on his poor starts as he does talking about himself and "basking in [his own] glory", he might have my sympathies, but as of now as far as I'm concerned the sooner Bolt goes away the better.
I'm disappointed in my fellow American's chauvinistic ignorance in this debate. I'm sure if this poll was up on guardian.co.uk or any other international publication the results would be a lot different. Bolt is so far and away the greater Olympian and athlete but the fact that Phelps has more over-all medals and is American is why he's dominating in this poll. You've gotta take into account that he's not even the fastest swimmer. If he was winning the 50m free, 100m free, 200m free, etc., then maybe we'd have an argument, but his specialty is the gimmick swims that aren't the fastest, most efficient way to get from point A to point B. Phelps is a great butterfly and individual medley swimmer and a great teammate on an extremely dominant US swim team (40% of his career Olympic medals came from relays). Usain Bolt is, simply put, the fastest man to ever live. And the only man to sweep the 100m and 200m (two of the glamour, emblematic Olympic events that will always be as much regardless of who's competing in them) at consecutive Games. And he did it in jaw-dropping, unforgettable style and entertained before, during, and after making history with his unrivaled showmanship.
Bolt, but it is not that crisp and easy as many people claim here. Each of them has their own cases. Clearly, swimmers being able to compete in so many events creates a huge advantage for them, and he has won the most number of medals no doubt about these point. On paper Phelps is the greatest ever.
I believe, we have look beyond these to have a more satisfactory answer:
1. PERFECTING NATURE GIVEN TALENT: Whether Phelps would be what he is today if he has not swum for 6+ hours 6 days a week in 20+ years. Probably not. On the other hand Bolt is a nature-given talent and he perfected it in a few years to be what he is today. If you believe that working hard and doing nothing else in your life for 25 years is the criterion to be the greatest Olympian ever, you already picked you winner, Phelps. However, my take is different. Perfecting the nature given talent in a way nobody has done in history is the criterion in my mind.
2. DOMINATING THE COMPETITION: Clearly people have done comparable things to Phelps has done in the last 100 years. Such as Spitz etc. But nobody dominated the great spectator sports of sprints as Bolt did in the history. Jesse Owens could have, if there were no 2nd world war, but we will never know.
3. APPEAL OF THE EVENTS TO AUDIENCE: Everybody wants to be a fast runner as a kid, this is the first thing they do, they run and they want to run fast, this is human nature. The events Bolt is competing in has a natural great appeal to the world population with respect to what Phelps is competing in. Water is foreign to humans, we are land mammals. Running appeals to all of us, much more than swimming. (That is the reason Phelps had to work forever to be good at what he is good at. The poor guy has had no other life other than swimming in a pool.)
Hence, I believe these three criteria declare Bolt to be the greatest in the 21st century: His natural talent, his unimaginable domination in his events in the history of competition, and the appeal of events he is competing in to the world population.
He has a good case to be in top 3 in the whole history of olympics.
Bolt can't finish Phelps warmup.
Ben,
A whole CONTINENT doesn't swim? I assume you mean Africa...but I guess you haven't heard of the countries of South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Tunisia, who all have had their own Olympic medal success recently.
And where does FASTEST equal GREATEST Olympian? So you're saying that if you compete in any event that lasts longer than 10 or 20 seconds, you can't be considered greatest Olympian?
Newsflash, buddy, swimming is global. And Michael Phelps is unquestionably the greatest Olympian ever.
To everyone trying to diminish what Phelps has done by saying "there are so many swimming events"...
You miss the point, by 180 degrees. This is exactly WHY Phelps is so great. The track equivalent would be for Bolt to enter (and win) the 100 hurdles, the 400, the 4x400, and maybe the 400 hurdles and the long jump in addition to his sprints. (That would be 8 events, roughly as varied in technique and range of endurance as what Phelps did in Beijing).
The whole problem with this "greatest Olympian of the 21st century" argument is that the Phelps fans define it on purely athletic terms (in which case, Phelps wins by roughly the 22-6 medal count margin) and the Bolt proponents define things like "marketability" and "showmanship". Within those constraints, both are right.
Having been both a competitive youth swimmer (regional swim champion in Texas) and track athlete (Junior international) I have to say Bolt takes it. I swam 25m/50m freestyle, IM, 25m back, freestyle/IM relay in 1 day to win in swimming, but ran just 3 rounds of 200m in the UK National Schools championship to win that and found the latter MUCH harder. As has been mentioned, several swimmers in history have won multiple medals over several Olympics, but only Bolt has done the double in sprints twice. So what it comes down to is this: who has the most golds/total medals - Phelps. No doubt, no question. Who has done something no one else has? Bolt. But who has won 5 golds in 5 separate Olympics while competing in just 1 event each time: Steve Redgrave in rowing - think about that people.
Bolt, without a doubt. ANYONE, anywhere in the world, can watch him sprint, and their jaw will drop. Anyone can recognize the sheer dominance when watching him run past the competition. Running is human.
Watching Michael Phelps? Well, it's pretty much forgettable. The commentators may go nuts about it, but no one has to tell you when Bolt does something special -- you can already tell.
You guys are crazy. He isn't even the fastest swimmer. It is like saying race-walker is a better athlete. Maybe if was a freestyle champion we could talk, but he is not. There are way more swimming events. What are we going to say when Missy Franklin breaks his record of medals. Also a whole continent doesn't event compete in swimming, and as a continent they are pretty special in track and field. This is not even a competition. Please take off your USA goggles.
I have incredible respect for both athletes! But if you have to tell everyone you’re a legend, are you??? Phelp has repeated his performance time and time again without once screaming into the cameras “I’m a legend, I’m amazing”. Phelps lets his performance speak for its self. Bolt has incredible talent and I loved watching him perform, however if you have to advertise/market that you’re a legend, are you???
Phelps Wins!!
Reasons: He is the first male swimmer to be a 3 time champion in 2 different events. He has 18 gold, and 22 total medals compared to 6 medals of Bolt.
Even though Bolt won the 100 and 200(AMAZING), phelps is still better because he competes in more events. 6 in Athens. 8 in Beijing. 7 in London. For Bolt to stand up next to Phelps he needs to have more events.
It took Phelps 4 olympics to get 22 medals. I am not too sure but Bolt has 6 and it took him 2 olympics. so he needs 16 more medals in the next 2 olympics. Thats a pretty tall order. He has to do the exact same thing as phelps did in Beijing, and TWICE.
Lastly, to be a winner at 2 or 3 things is pretty good however, to be a winner at multiple things such as 6,7,8 is amazing.
Virtually everyone on the planet (except the disabled) runs as a child. If you're fast, you'll be identified as having potential and eventually race. It is virtually certain that no one on the planet is faster than Bolt.
An small percentage of the people on this planet swim as a child. Even if a poor person does swim, it's unlikely they have the resources to get access to a pool often enough to become an Olympic swimmer. Thus it is very likely that someone besides Phelps is the best swimmer on the planet. They just were never identified as having that talent.
It's Bolt without a doubt.
To be considered a great Olympian, an athlete must possess both outward and internal qualities that are higher than ordinary person. The greatness of Phelps had been shown in his games and in his humility while Bolt's in his physical speed. It does not matter how many games they performed. To me, Phelps is greater Olympian because greatness goes both with excellence and humility.
Within the confines of USA, it's Phelps. And outside USA, Bolt. How many countries compete in swimming? How many people watch or care about swimming? Synchronized swimmers are amongst the best athletes, but who cares? Olmpics are about track. Gymnastics, swimming, rowing, snoring...all filler sports.
Why are comparing them, they are both grate at what they do. We need to stop. Let us all stop HATING.
@Gaonan:
I agree. Could you imagine Jesse Owens acting like Usain Bolt?
Michael Phelps has handled his celebrity much more humbly than Bolt. I would rather Bolt just shut up and praise others, aka Emil Zatopek, and let his racing do the talking for him.
Hey Smart Canadian,
22 Olympic medals,
18 gold.
No contest. Phelps is the king.
You're so cute with your anti-American rhetoric. Sorry there's nobody from Canada that can be remotely included in this debate...lol
Smart Canadian, the Russian gymnast used to be the greatest Olympian of the 21st century until this Month.... Not so smart are ya?
In my opinion, Phelps is the greatest ever. I keep seeing comments that if there were a 110, 120, 130, 140... etc, then Usain Bolt would win them all and this is equivalent to what Michael Phelps is doing. Michael Phelps competes in all strokes and multiple distances in these strokes, and if you did any homework you'd discover that Bolt's three races were spread out over four days and Phelps seven races were over five days. As a former national class swimmer specializing in just my one event, I can't imagine anything harder than defeating the rest of the world in multiple events where everyone specializes in their their one and only event.
While nobody can deny that Bolt is awesome, what I feel keeps him being able to be the Greatest is his brashness and cockyness and sense of entitlement. the in your face attitude is a real turn off. IMO he is not a role model for the masses. His personality reminds of Chad Ochochinco Johnson who just lost what is probably his last job in the NFL due to that same type of personality and sense of entitlement.
It's swimming versus track. Did anybody ever regard that Russian gymnast as the greatest ever, prior to Phelps breaking her record? So why is Phelps now touted as the greatest? American propaganda! How many countries do you think regard Phelps? Bolt is a god! If somebody soon breaks his records, then his stock will come crashing down. But right now, he's the main man!
They are both great !!! Why are we comparing them? One swims and one runs, they are not triathletes competing in triathlon. I love them both !
Greatness is about consistency over time and variety of greatness. While Bolt is the fastest sprinter on land of all time (which is exciting)... Phelps has been the top in his sport over time and has done it over multiple types of races. If Bolt also won the high jump, triple jump, 100 and 200 meters, and relay... he could contend with Michael. If not, Phelps rules the Olympics!
I'll take Bolt. Phelps built his medals through 4 Olympics, sometimes barely squeaking out a gold. Or barely squeaking out any medal for that matter. Bolt has destroyed his competition in every race and sets a record nearly every time he runs. And winning back to back golds in BOTH 100 and 200 has never been done. EVER. Sure Phelps has more medals but he's been in twice as many events and twice as many Olympics.
Seriously, how can the two be compared? Bolt isn't even the best track and field athlete ever--he's behind Jesse Owens and Carl Lewis at the least.
22 Olympic Medals, 18 Gold for Micheal Phelps. End of story, case closed.
Bolt is better. He has competition from all 200+ nations in the Olympic games.
Phelps is good, but swimming is practiced with high standards in only a small portion of these countries (the rich ones, or big cities in less development countries)
Hey Grant- "the select few" that Phelps beat? What world are you living in bud? Think its time you woke the hell up and took notice...
Can Bolt even finish a mile? I'd like to see that.
22 medals to 6 medals? how is this even an argument.
For anyone to compare these two athletes- it's like comparing apples to oranges. I will say that, while Bolt is clearly the fastest man in short sprints, Phelps dominated at various strokes and various distances. In my book, there's far more that goes into what Phelps did than what Bolt did. Bolt is impressive, but we're talking about 100 and 200 meters running- that take under 10 and under 20 seconds. No endurance factor here. To all the naysayers on swimming in general, try to finish- never mind compete and win- the 400 IM. Best of luck to you all- you will need it. I can run 200 meters with my eyes closed.
There is no need to do this , they are both great at what they do . Bolt is a legend so you all can stop with your little set backs it wont work!!!first carla lewis try to pud a dark cloud over bolts success now this . T world is saying bolt --- hate it or love it bolt almost single handily put back life into a dieing sport mainly track and field , he showed the world that one can be fast and run clean-- he show that one don't have to be doping like carla lewis or justin gatlin to win .
Bolt is a great athlete but you can't compare him to Phelps. Swimming with its varied swim strokes makes it a much more difficult sport to master than running especially running sprints. Phelps put in many more hours of training to do what he did then Bolt did to do what he did. Now if Bolt won the gold in the 400 meters too then I might have to reconsider my view.
Bolt is superior. Not even close. Give Bolt the 80, 120, 140, 160, 180, 220, and a couple more relays and he wins them all. Swimming has more similar events than track - isn't the top medal winner ALWAYS a swimmer? I feel confident that no human alive under any circumstances could beat Bolt. How many people that you know ever swam a race? Whereas virtually everyone reading this ran the 100m at some point. Bolt beat the world - Phelps beat the select few who tried swimming.
If Bolt wins gold in 2016 Olympics, then we should have this conversation. Olympics should be about competition, not about hype.
Phelps is the Greatest sportsman of the Century. My Best Wishes and Regards to him.
Bolt by a long shot....Phelps records are equivalent to Bolt running the 100, 110, 120, 125, 150, 175 and 200 meter dashes and winning them all (which he would).
Americans should support Phelps. It is a close call. Bolt has another olympics... Phelps says he's not going to Rio.
At the end of the day, we can compare rap sheets and see.
Hard to say. Isinbayeva must be in that category too. Why do we always want to know who is the greatest? They all are.....