Bolt versus Phelps who's better?

Question

Who do you think is the greater olympian out of Usain Bolt and Michael Phelps?

I know Phelps has won more gold medals but maybe Bolt has more potential?..

Give your opinions and reasons..

Answer 1

There's a difference between running and swimming.

In other words, both Olympians are great.

Answer 2

Michael Phelps won 8 golds, which of course is incredible, but he didnt dominate like Bolt. Bolt easily won both of his individual races and his relay team easily won as well, whereas 3 of Phelps' golds d**n near were silver. But because Phelps has been in the Olympics before and has the most gold medals of all time by far, i have to give him the nod for now. I predict that after the next two Olympics, Bolt will have surpassed Phelps just by dominating every race.

Answer 3

Usain Lightnin' Bolt has been far more impressive.

Bolt has broken 1 16 year-old world record, and played a huge role in breaking another 16-year old world record. They were considered 2 of the most unbeatable world records in sports.

In contrast, swimming is a young sport where the times and records improve dramatically every olympiad. No world record in swimming was set before the year 2001. (The wikipedia has a list of all the swimming records if you want to see for yourself.) By contrast about half of all track records were set in the early '90's or before.

Besides that, swimming events are so similar that it is much easier in swimming compared to track to compete in multiple events. If you master every stroke, a sprinter can potentially be in 8 events at just the 100 and 200 meter distances, or more counting relays. The equivalent of that in track would be something like the 100, the 100 with a 10-pound weight on your back, the 100 with one shoe off and so on. Swimming has too many events for strokes that are obsolete as far as racing is concerned, if you need to swim somewhere fast you use side-stroke, freestyle. (Freestyle events can technically use any stroke, but everyone uses sidestroke)

Usain Bolt has battered 32 years of track history in just 2 events. Far more impressive athlete than Phelps.

To Dr D: Knowing 2 different strokes is not nearly the same thing as being successful at 100 up to 400. It's almost impossible for a sprinter to compete in both short and long sprints at once.

And obviously you don't have to master all the strokes to go on an absurd multiple-medal run, if Phelps can get 8 just knowing two. Don't take my meaning so literally. If someone really was master of them all they'd win 16 golds.

Butterfly is not a legitimate speed-swimming stroke. Take away Phelps's butterfly wins and IM relays and what would he have, about 4?

<more> Dr D nothing is more subjective than that "first time ever" business... it's a reference to circumstance, one "first time ever" among many. Through Bolt a human ran sub 9.70 for the "first time ever." He's also won the 100 for the "first time ever" for a Jamaican. More seriously, he's the "first-time-ever" 100-200-4x100relay triple winner to set world records in all three events in the same Olympics.

   Which "first time ever" you choose to focus on is as subjective a decision as any.  Pointing at Phelps's gold-collection record is no basis for making claims about who dominates their sport more.

  Quality of competition IS a legitimate basis. And since the competition for each is mainly past records, Bolt's competition was tougher.

Answer 4

Both of them.

Congratulation for them from Curacao.

Answer 5

If I was a betting man:

Track:  Give me $100 to win on Bolt.

Swimming:  Give me $100 to win on Phelps.

Ping Pong: Give me a $100 to win on that short, scrawny oriental

looking guy.

Answer 6

phelps is the best olympian of all-time he had a lot more events to do and still broke almost all the world records

Answer 7

2 different sports I don't believe a true comparison can be made. Both are the best at their sport. Phelps has more star potential being an American and given the record number of medals he's won. Bolt will always unjustly be accused of doping something Phelps will never have to deal with.

Answer 8

It depends on whether you're American or Jamaican. I"m neither so let me give my "objective" opinion.

Bolt is not as yet comparable to Carl Lewis. Carl won golds in 3 olympics, for a total of 9. And for a long time, he was tied for the winningest olympian of all time. Bolt is not there yet. He needs 2 more olympics like he just had to equal Carl.

Phelps on the other hand can already be considered the greatest swimmer of all time. 14 golds, 2 bronze over 2 olympic games. He's been dominant for 6 years now.

I would give the nudge to Phelps because he's been doing it over a longer period of time. But it is like comparing apples to oranges. I just happen to like oranges more.

*EDIT*

In response to another answerer: mastering all the strokes in swimming is not as easy as you think. Consider the different gold medalist in each of these strokes. Phelps is only an expert int he free style and butterfly. He has decent enough breast stroke and backstroke to compete in the individual medleys. But he has not mastered all strokes. Mastering all the strokes is the equivalent of running the 100m , 200m and 400m sprints. Who has ever done that?

*EDIT*

To Kozzm0: Some of your statements are obviously subjective, e.g. taking away the butterfly and individual medleys. Forget about subjective opinions for a minute. Here is a fact.

Bolt accomplished something for the first time in 24 years. Phelps accomplished something for the first time ever.

This would make Phelps a more dominant swimmer than Bolt a runner. Add to this the fact that Phelps has been doing it consistently for 6 years. Bolt for 6 months.

Answer 9

Phelps...8 GOLD MEDALS!!!!!!

Answer 10

At the moment Phleps. But, we'll have to wait and see what Bolt does in 4 years.

Answer 11

Michael Phelps of UNITED STATES.

Answer 12

There is no comparison on the two athletes.  They are both great in their respective sports.  

Answer 13

Bolt.

1.) He set the WR in 100m in May of this year at 9.72s.  He eased into a 9.92s quarter, 9.85s semi, then broke his own WR with a 9.69s at the Olympics.

2.) His 200m 19.30s WR was done running into a +0.9m/s headwind.

3.) World records in swimming are aided by deeper pools, wake-dampening lane markers, temperature controlled water, state of the art swimsuit (Speedo LZR).  There are less technological advantages in athletics (maybe better tread on tracks).  

World records in sprint is almost entirely dependent on talent alone...that's why they're so hard to break.  Weather and wind conditions can nix a world-record time like it did for Tyson g*y at the US qualifiers (He ran a wind aided 9.68s).  World records in swimming will continue to fall but humans are pretty much at the limit of how fast they can run...until someone like Bolt comes around.  That's impressive.

It's hard to compare the two...but getting two sprint world records in the same Olympics is a feat that has never happened before.

Bolt has the edge.

Answer 14

I think it got to be Michael Phelps. Swimming involves the movements of most part of the body. Phelps has developed and trained his body to be in an almost perfect state. And to win in the Olympics with seven gold is a great achievement.

Answer 15

cant compare atheltes of different sports.

Its like comparing phelps and bolt to Michael Jordan or Haile Gebressilassie . you cant compare them.

Answer 16

Swimming is the only sport where an athlete has a chance to win so many medals. So the number of medals is a bit over-rated. Don't get me wrong, Phelps is a great swimmer and a great winner, but if track and fields had a 125m, 150m, 175m, 225m and 250m dash and relays in all of them, then Bolt would have something like 10 more golds at least for a grand total of 13. Then it would be more equivalent to all the swimming events. What Bolt did was so dominant, it was scary. Phelps was great too, but not as dominant and a bit lucky. So I'd go with Bolt.

Answer 17

If an Elephant fought a Whale, who would win?

Answer 18

At this point in time I would probably have to go with Bolt - who is unbeaten at the Olympics going on 3 for 3.

Given its Bolts first Olympics, it would be impossible to grade them on anything else but that.

Answer 19

Bolt, it is his first Olympics and he is already challenging some of the legends of his sport (Carl Lewis).

Also, he has broken record that have stood for over 10 years (200m and 4x100m)

That being said, they are both absolute superstars of their sport...

Answer 20

I cant answer that question, no one can really............but tell you what Bolt is better at running and Phelps is better at swimming

Answer 21

Bolt all the way. In swimming you can always get repalcments to break world records but in sprinting it is so much harder to break world records unless you are on drugs. so I would say Bolt and what a grat birthday present he got too.