Mega Thread RIO 2016 - General Discussion Thread for the 2016 Summer Olympic Games (3rd Aug to 21st Aug)

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L Dizz

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Diversity? Hahaha.

Americans and Jamaicans are basically a sure thing for short, the Kenyans for long. What are you talking about?

At least in the pool we have the Australians, Yanks, Canadians are emerging, Dutch, Germans, Chinese, Japanese and a few strong swimmers from Britain, France, Sweden and Denmark.
In the last Olympics, 33 different nations won athletics medals (141 total). In the pool, 19 different nations won medals (102 total).

You're probably ignoring the field events. So looking at just the running, on the men's side, 7 sprinting events (400m down) had winners from 5 different countries. And 800m up had winners from 4 different countries over 6 events.

And the women: sprints 4 countries sharing 7 gold medals, and longer stuff had 4 countries (none of which were Kenya) sharing 6 gold medals. If you want to include walks, that's another 3 different countries to add to the mix.

So yeah, when you actually pay attention instead of just relying on outdated stereotypes, you'll find athletics is pretty diverse.

PS I'm not having a crack at you personally, or swimming for that matter, I just hear this sort of thing all the time and I find it annoying.
 
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GG.exe

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Is Michael Phelps the greatest athlete of all-time, in any sport, at any level?

With 22 gold medals over four different Olympics, he's easily the greatest Olympic athlete of all-time, and it's not even close. And he's got a chance at two more medals before Rio is over.
 

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HeathComeBack

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Is Michael Phelps the greatest athlete of all-time, in any sport, at any level?

With 22 gold medals over four different Olympics, he's easily the greatest Olympic athlete of all-time, and it's not even close. And he's got a chance at two more medals before Rio is over.
I would say he is up there, but there is a greater opportunity these days to win multiple medals at more Olympics given its not amateur anymore. They dont retire as young as they used too, especially swimmers, plus there is a lot more events than their used to be in the early days.
As for the best of the modern era, Still give it to Usain, his world records are astonishing given he lairs about at the end of races, and pretty much everyone in the world can run whereas not everyone can swim!
 

Donakebab

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I would say he is up there, but there is a greater opportunity these days to win multiple medals at more Olympics given its not amateur anymore. They dont retire as young as they used too, especially swimmers, plus there is a lot more events than their used to be in the early days.
As for the best of the modern era, Still give it to Usain, his world records are astonishing given he lairs about at the end of races, and pretty much everyone in the world can run whereas not everyone can swim!
Phelps is comfortably a level above Bolt. He's been successful across four Olympics not potentially three and he's done it in a wider variety of events in his discipline. For Bolt to compare he would need to be a champion in more than just the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m. He'd need to add things like the 400m, 800m, 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles as well all in the same Olympics.
 

HeathComeBack

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Phelps is comfortably a level above Bolt. He's been successful across four Olympics not potentially three and he's done it in a wider variety of events in his discipline. For Bolt to compare he would need to be a champion in more than just the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m. He'd need to add things like the 400m, 800m, 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles as well all in the same Olympics.
its not possible for a man to run fast in the 100m and the 800 metres in the same Olympics. It requires totally different training. Its like saying Phelps has to win medals in the 100 metre butterfly and diving.
 

Sidebottom2Beams

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Phelps is comfortably a level above Bolt. He's been successful across four Olympics not potentially three and he's done it in a wider variety of events in his discipline. For Bolt to compare he would need to be a champion in more than just the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m. He'd need to add things like the 400m, 800m, 110m hurdles and 400m hurdles as well all in the same Olympics.
How is Phelps even close? The 100 meters is the finest athletes on the finest drugs money can buy. Humans at their utmost potential.
 

Donakebab

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its not possible for a man to run fast in the 100m and the 800 metres in the same Olympics. It requires totally different training. Its like saying Phelps has to win medals in the 100 metre butterfly and diving.
No that's a terrible comparison. The fundamentals of running are the same, swimming and diving are not.

Phelps is not only competing in far more events, he's doing them on the same day and still dominating, he's on another level. Maybe if Bolt wins this year and then comes back in four years and wins he might even be in the same breath, but the fact he's only doing it in three events instead of six to eight still leaves him quite a way behind.
 

HeathComeBack

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No that's a terrible comparison. The fundamentals of running are the same, swimming and diving are not.

Phelps is not only competing in far more events, he's doing them on the same day and still dominating, he's on another level. Maybe if Bolt wins this year and then comes back in four years and wins he might even be in the same breath, but the fact he's only doing it in three events instead of six to eight still leaves him quite a way behind.
yeah it is a terrible comparison but so is saying Bolt has to win the 800m to be the best in the world, It is just no possible. Bolt also runs in the blue riband event. He is the fastest man in the world no doubt and has been for at least 8 years. Phelps is not the fastest man in the world in swimming, He never has been. He has won more of the "novelty events".
Obviously Phelps is one of the top athletes in the world at this time and has been for a very long time, but Bolt is a greater athlete, in my opinion!
 
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