The Olympic Thread

[jod23]

Multiple disciplines inflate Phelps figures. It's not like there is different versions of running 100 and 200m (hurdles is a completely different sport)

Also all able bodied people can run. Not all have the opportunity to swim.

Then throw in that Bolt went 9/9 compared to 23/30. Throw in that 10/23 were relays compared to 3/9.

It's a no contest

Also why I nudge Bolt over the line is his margin for error is much slimmer. The longest his race lasts is 19 seconds in the 200 and the 100 is over in less than 10. If you get a bad start in the 200 butterfly final. Phelps gives zero shits, he will reel you in easily enough. You get a bad start in the 100 and it's over. You stumble slightly. It's over.

You have to be perfect. Bolt is.

 

[jod23]

Does that list include losing?

What else can bolt enter? He is a 100m 200m competitor just like Phelps. Not his fault he can't do it in three different ways each Olympics. Not saying phelps isn't great but he doesn't come close to Bolt. He won some relay golds than the US have won at every Olympics bar 2-3

One thing about those relays too is that I feel Jamaica wins the 4 x 1 because of Bolt. Whereas if Phelps didnt swim in any of the medley races for the US, I think they still would have won anyways.

They usually go into the last leg with Phelps and they are already like 3 or 4 body lengths in front.

But with the 4 x 100 relay when Bolt got the baton, he was level with De Grasse, the Japanese bloke and the US runner. If that's not Bolt, Jamaica lose there. Or least dont take Gold.

 

[jod23]

Bolt won every race because he entered far less. For some reason in your mind, that makes it a greater achievement. It's not (nor is it worse).

No it can't be said about Phelps. Has Bolt competed at 5 Olympics, winning gold medals in 4 of them? Has Bolt won gold medals at 31 years of age?

I can go on with the list of things Phelps did that Bolt hasn't.

It's different though, 15/16 year old swimmers are common place in the pool. No chance any 15/16 year old can compete in the 100m or 200m because they are still boys running against men. It's not the same in the pool. Running is far more physical and powerful so a 15 year old is gonna get blown away.

That's how Phelp has competed in 5 Olympics because swimmers start much younger. Bolt has still competed in 4 Olympics and as for winning Gold at 31. Well he turns 30 today. So not much of a difference.

 

[jod23]

Also another point regarding Bolt. The US have no peers in the pool. None. They absolutely dominate swimming. Phelps happens to be American.

Of course Jamaica are well known for running but athletics and sprinting in general is much more wide open. Nobody really dominates it, threats can come from anywhere, any country.

Not so much for swimming and Phelps. Most of the time he is just beating his yankee mates.

You can bet the US has been doing everything it can to knock Bolt off over the years as the US want to be number one at everything including having the fastest man on earth. The US pour millions into their athletics and olympic teams, yet Bolt is never denied.

 

[Jatz]

It's different though, 15/16 year old swimmers are common place in the pool. No chance any 15/16 year old can compete in the 100m or 200m because they are still boys running against men. It's not the same in the pool. Running is far more physical and powerful so a 15 year old is gonna get blown away.

That's how Phelp has competed in 5 Olympics because swimmers start much younger. Bolt has still competed in 4 Olympics and as for winning Gold at 31. Well he turns 30 today. So not much of a difference.

Bolt has competed in 3 Olympics.

Mo Farah won 2 gold medals in the last 2 Olympics for a 100% win rate. Guess he'd be better than Phelps as well...

 

[Jatz]

Does that list include losing?

What else can bolt enter? He is a 100m 200m competitor just like Phelps. Not his fault he can't do it in three different ways each Olympics. Not saying phelps isn't great but he doesn't come close to Bolt. He won some relay golds than the US have won at every Olympics bar 2-3

You keep finding excuses. That's all your doing.

The greatest Olympian of all time comes close to Bolt, no matter which order you have them in. The fact you think otherwise is still laughable.

 

[jd2010]

You keep finding excuses. That's all your doing.

The greatest Olympian of all time comes close to Bolt, no matter which order you have them in. The fact you think otherwise is still laughable.

The greatest swimmer of all time doesn't come anywhere near the undefeated best athlete of our generation. There's no other way to put it. He lost 7 races and won races that the USA win every Olympics. Take a closer look into the 23 and it's just impossible to compare him to Bolt.

Relays, multiple disciplines, medleys are great and he did a fantastic job getting 23. But that sort of number is only possible in swimming so it's definitely not right to just see the number and think this is the best. Simple fact is Bolt can only compete for 3 medals per Olympics vs 8-9 for Phelps. Three times the chance for gold yet not three times the gold medals

 

[jd2010]

Bolt has competed in 3 Olympics.

Mo Farah won 2 gold medals in the last 2 Olympics for a 100% win rate. Guess he'd be better than Phelps as well...

If he goes and does the double again in Tokyo then yes. 3 doubles in the 5000 and 10000 is legendary

 

[WealstoneRaider]

I can't believe that South African is allowed to compete as a woman.i just heard it speak - has a deeper voice than I do!

 

[jod23]

Great stuff by the Boomers choking up a medal haha.

Serbs doing terrifically in the final though, only down 25 at HT.

 

[WealstoneRaider]

Great stuff by the Boomers choking up a medal haha.

Serbs doing terrifically in the final though, only down 25 at HT.

I think most of your countrymen have deserted this thread and the Olympics in general Jod. Shame, is it only worth watching when you're winning!

Well I enjoyed it - but back to the prem now!

Coys

 

[HolyRioli]

I don't split Bolt or Phelps. They are both so far ahead of their respective fields it's not even funny, and both comfortably have claim to being the best swimmer and sprinter of all time.

However, I personally suspect that we are less likely to see Bolt's record emulated again. For those who are unaware, this is his competition record since the Beijing Olympics.

 

[HolyRioli]

Also, for those saying there's no other events Bolt could compete in, the obvious two are the long jump and 400m.

400m he wasn't able to do to a competitive level (his personal best of 45.28 would put him a long way last in the Rio final).

Long jump is an event many top end sprinters do (see Carl Lewis), but given Bolt takes a while to get going, it's somewhat understandable he wouldn't be a great jumper.


So for those who discount Phelps just because he has access to compete in more disciplines, maybe consider than he is good enough to do so. For a long time Bolt said he would like to do the 400m, but was never able to do so

 

[Fryer Tuck]

Wow, props to Team GB for getting 2nd, very nicely done.

As expected, we were always going to flounder after the initial hoarde. Maybe we should get some Lotto money to help us too, lol.

As for Bolt, he's got the most prestigious title in the whole of the Olympics, the 100m, that's as gold as it gets. If only the 300m was an event again. Too good for the 200m, but not good enough for the 400m.

 

[Cruyff14]

We've had more athletes arrested than gold medal wins.

 

[jd2010]

Also, for those saying there's no other events Bolt could compete in, the obvious two are the long jump and 400m.

400m he wasn't able to do to a competitive level (his personal best of 45.28 would put him a long way last in the Rio final).

Long jump is an event many top end sprinters do (see Carl Lewis), but given Bolt takes a while to get going, it's somewhat understandable he wouldn't be a great jumper.


So for those who discount Phelps just because he has access to compete in more disciplines, maybe consider than he is good enough to do so. For a long time Bolt said he would like to do the 400m, but was never able to do so

But he and Ohelps are 100m and 200m competitors. Didn't think phelps ever did a 400m? Wouldn't have thought many do the 100m and 400m in athletics and very few would in swimming too.

He is a sprinter once that goes past 200m it's no longer his sport. Like you say long jump is the only other he could possibly do but he is a long strider rather than a power man so he gets going a bit slower than most sprinters. That might hinder him with long jump. Long jump - 100m is quite different though

 

[bok_party]

Bolt finished in fifth in a 200m heat in the Athens games if I recall correctly. He was 17 then I think.

 

[jd2010]

Bolt finished in fifth in a 200m heat in the Athens games if I recall correctly. He was 17 then I think.

Yeah read that the other day. Had no clue. One of those races that never got airtime. 17 and coming in off a hamstring injury. Doubt he'd reached 195cm by then too

 

[bok_party]

Yeah read that the other day. Had no clue. One of those races that never got airtime. 17 and coming in off a hamstring injury. Doubt he'd reached 195cm by then too

Yeah it doesn't detract from his feats but it at least makes it 9/10!

 

[HolyRioli]

17 as a sprinter, male especially, is absurd.

And jd2010 Phelps does compete in the 400m medley, but everything else is 100m or 200m

 

[UnitedWarrior93]

Can't compare Phelps and Bolt, it's ridiculous.

Phelps has dominated his area and Bolt has dominated his, both are going to go down as some of the all-time greats in Olympic history.

May never see someone dominate the pool like phelps has or a guy dominate the race track like Bolt has in our lifetime again.

 

[Fryer Tuck]

So, after seeing the Mario/Doraemon deal, am I the only one that is looking far more to the Olympics right now then the whole of Rio? That promo was extremely clever and cool (Tokyo is nearly Rio's opposite, but I'll let that passed, lol.) The whole lot actually.

I think we're going to be in for a good time come Tokyo, even if we don't do as well on the medal tally.

 

[imadodgyumpire]

Bolt wins the premier event at the Olympics. Which is one of two events/competitions the best athletes in the world are drawn to (The other being heavyweight boxing champ). Phelps doesn't even compete in the premier swimming race ever.