Greatest Olympian

**Nervous Jock** · 16th August 08, 11:31 AM

didn't want to highjack the phelps thread with this but there is a lot of chat going on he is the greatest olympian of all time.

What are the thoughts of folk here??

Chris Hoy is being called Scotlands greatest as he's won more medals than others.

I'd say it was Eric Liddell.

So what are the thought on this regardless of if you come from USA, Britain or or equatorial New Guinea??

**robthehiker** · 16th August 08, 01:37 PM

Phelps hands down.

Oh wait, you wanted Scotland's greatest or the greatest from anywhere??

Greatest Scottish Olympian: Rodney Pattison.

**Nervous Jock** · 16th August 08, 02:23 PM

Originally Posted by robthehiker

Phelps hands down.

Oh wait, you wanted Scotland's greatest or the greatest from anywhere??

Greatest Scottish Olympian: Rodney Pattison.

nope the "greatest from wherever"

**robthehiker** · 16th August 08, 02:28 PM

Originally Posted by Nervous Jock

nope the "greatest from wherever"

Phelps then. All those golds. All those records. He's a machine.

**haukehaien** · 16th August 08, 05:07 PM

Phelps is an amazing swimmer, but he's just a swimmer. For greatest Olympian of all time, my money's on Jim Thorpe, who won the pentathlon and decathlon in 1912. Thorpe won four of the five events in the pentathlon (the long jump, the 200m dash, the discus throw and the 1500m run), and placed third in the javelin - an event he had only started competing in that year.

In the decathlon, Thorpe placed as follows:
100m - 3rd
Long jump - 3rd
Shot put - 1st
High jump - 1st
400m - 4th
Discus - 3rd
110m hurdles - 1st
Pole vault - 3rd
Javelin - 4th
1500m - 1st

Out of 15 events in the pentathlon and decathlon, Thorpe won 8, and placed no lower than 4th in any event.

Phelps is impressive, though.

**TheSp8** · 16th August 08, 08:50 PM

I'd have to go with Jim Thorpe as well. Most olympic events call for doing one thing well. The pentathlon and decathlon require you to do well in many events and be more well rounded.

YMOS,
Tony

**Alaskan Kilted Guy** · 17th August 08, 03:07 AM

Hmmm this is like asking who is better, your doctor or your mechanic. They both have distinct skill sets. You have to be more specific. What criteria are we judging by? Medals, appearances in the final event? Number of Olympic games?

Is it safe to say Phelps is the best swimmer of all time. Yep. Not only by Olympic standards, look at the past 5 or 6 years. The guy is dominating. Truly amazing.

**Nick** · 17th August 08, 05:25 AM

I have to agree with Thorpe.

"Thanks, King".

**Jerry** · 17th August 08, 05:41 AM

I also have to agree with Jim Thorpe. Phelps is the greatest swimmer of all times though, but I feel that to be the greatest Olympic athlete of all time, one has to be great at more than one thing.

**TheKiltedWonder** · 17th August 08, 06:47 AM

Originally Posted by Jerry

I also have to agree with Jim Thorpe. Phelps is the greatest swimmer of all times though, but I feel that to be the greatest Olympic athlete of all time, one has to be great at more than one thing.

I've noticed this is a common argument, but I would argue that Phelps is great at more than one thing. How?

If I were evaluating a track athlete who ran 400 meters and also ran hurdles, I wouldn't say that those two events are the same thing. Yes, they both involve running from Point A to Point B, but the events require different technique.

Phelps doesn't just swim butterfly or just swim freestyle. He was the only person to appear in both the 200 fly and 200 free finals and he won both in WR time. In addition, two of his gold medals came in the IM which requires competence in four strokes. He may not have learned to throw the javelin, but you can rest assured that he was working hard on improving his breast stroke (something he wouldn't otherwise do).

He won a 100 m event and a 400 m event. He's definitely an all-around swimmer and I think it's unfair to lump all the strokes and lengths together.

So is he the greatest? I don't think it's even possible to answer that question. Thorpe and Phelps are from different eras. Thorpe competed in the Fifth Olympiad and there were only twenty some countries participating (all from North America, Europe and Australia [oh, ok and South Africa too]). Today's games have 7 or 8 times the number of participating countries and the level of competition is that much higher. Apples and Oranges.

Was Thorpe more versatile? Of course! But Phelps is no one trick pony...