Ahawkeye Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 Phelps is the greatest, end of discussion. Any of the arguments (swimming is too exclusive so only rich white kids do it, swimming has too many opportunities for medals) just don't hold water (pardon the pun). His dominance is unparalleled at the olympics in any sport. Keep in mind that I can't swim worth a lick so I have no personal appreciation for his feats. I have just totally enjoyed watching him mow down the competition especially during his previous two olympics. This olympics is just a coronation of his achievemnets. Wildcat, you and Skip Bayless and Michael Wilbon can remain in the tiny minority that believe Phelps not to be the greatest olympian to date. +1 here. Sometimes people should think a little harder befor posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1prouddad Posted August 7, 2012 Share Posted August 7, 2012 There may never be another person that has dominated his sport like Phelps has. Be it that it may, we here all love wrestling, but there has never been and will probably another athlete that has and ever will, control,compete, and complete what this young man has done. I leave this discussion as Micheal said," I have no regrets and I am ready to move on". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chambers Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 There may never be another person that has dominated his sport like Phelps has. Be it that it may, we here all love wrestling, but there has never been and will probably another athlete that has and ever will, control,compete, and complete what this young man has done. I leave this discussion as Micheal said," I have no regrets and I am ready to move on". Missy Franklin is off to a good start. She won four gold medals and broke two world records in her first Olypmics. Michael Phelps did not win a medal in his first Olympics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1oldwrestler Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 +1 here. Sometimes people should think a little harder befor posting Not sure what this means. +1? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 Not sure what this means. +1? He agrees with your assessment of the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
royboy74 Posted August 8, 2012 Share Posted August 8, 2012 How about Arsen Fadzaev? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcatcountry97 Posted August 10, 2012 Author Share Posted August 10, 2012 Skip Bayless and Wilbon ? I?m ok with that as long as you don?t compare me to Le Batard ! I certainly am not taking anything away from Phelps ? He is clearly a freak athlete and I?m proud he?s an American dominating his sport. The point that some of feel is that in, say, wrestling ? if you make one little mistake you cannot achieve a gold medal. In Phelps case, he can make a terrible blunder or two or three and still walk away with 3-4-5 Gold medals. I think it says a lot more if you can show up for 4 or 5 or 6 consecutive Olympics and win a gold medal in each Olympics. Thus dominating your sport 16-24 years. Now if Phelps wanted to come swim in RIO and won a gold there, and had won a gold in Sydney, he?d be in the conversation but as it stands he has only won medals in 2 Olympics. Again ? not taking away anything from him, but being the best for 8 years doesn?t make you the greatest athlete of all time in my book. Congrats to Jordan on his GOLD today as well. 'Merica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattM Posted August 10, 2012 Share Posted August 10, 2012 He win 6 Gold in Athens 2004, 8 in Beijing 2008, and 4 in London this year (and a few other colors too) Plus several World titles starting in 2002 all the way until present. I'd say 10 years in some events and 6-8 in others is a string of dominance long enough that few in any sport could be compared to. Hard to argue he's not among best athletes, even if he's not #1 to some. The factor of skills in one sport vs. skills in another sport is about all you could use to rank almost anyone over him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riv0376 Posted August 11, 2012 Share Posted August 11, 2012 1.) This question is pointless since the only real answer is Karelin. 3 Olympic golds 1 silver; 9 world championships; Undefeated in international comp for 13 years, 6 years w/o being scored on. He man handled grown men like they were rag dolls for three consecutive olympics. No one was close to him. 2.) If you want to narrow it down to freestyle to make it more of an argument, don't forget about Artur Taymozov originally from Russia but competes for Uzbekistan and just captured his 3 straight gold at 120 and has a silver from 2000 too. 3.) When having the Phelps is the greatest debate, you have to consider that 9 medals including 7 gold are from relays, which the U.S. is always a factor in whether phelps is on those teams are not. His dominance was only for about an eight year period despite him picking up two individual golds he was far from dominant this time around and obviously didn't even win a medal in 2000. All that said he is still in the conversation for greatest Olympian for just how dominant his time at the top was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdrodd1 Posted August 14, 2012 Share Posted August 14, 2012 I don't about some of you but some of those ping pong players looked pretty tough....and that girl Nadzeya Ostapchuk (shot put) from Belarus that had her Gold stripped from her because of roids???? I am pretty sure that she could have kicked everyone's ass in London and on here....She/He is a brute.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wildcatcountry97 Posted August 14, 2012 Author Share Posted August 14, 2012 Medal count is a poor determinant of the quality of an Athlete. For example: Brigit Fischer has 12 Olympic medals in Canoeing ? Are you telling me she?s a better Olympic Athlete than All of the wrestlers on this list because she has more medals? Lebron James has 2 Olympic Golds, is he a better athlete than Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson? -- Rdrodd-"She/He" - Hilarious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtsirtsis Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 How about Arsen Fadzaev? Took the words right out of my mouth! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleB Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Lebron James has 2 Olympic Golds, is he a better athlete than Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson? I'm sure many people would argue that with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1oldwrestler Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Lebron James has 2 Olympic Golds, is he a better athlete than Dan Gable and Cael Sanderson? I would say, yes, he is a better athlete than both Gable and Sanderson. I love wrestling and I was a pretty decent wrestler but not the greatest "athlete" by any stretch. That's the beauty of wrestling, IMO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B Campbell Posted August 21, 2012 Share Posted August 21, 2012 Baumgartner was one of the greatest heavyweights, but as a wee lad I saw him get whooped in the 1983 World Cup by some Russian guy named Salman Khasimikov. I thought Baumgartner was invincible...lesson learned that day! What was more amazing was the match Khasimikov had against the African HWT...where he threw him off the platform onto the press photographers. Baumgartner went on to become that same caliber, if not better, of a wrestler. Maybe that match taught him a valuable lesson as well!!! http://www.flowrestling.org/video/643747-Salman-Khasimikov-v-Bruce-Baumgartner-1983-World-Cup Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yngskywalker Posted August 24, 2012 Share Posted August 24, 2012 lets not forget how there is more opportunities to get more metals in swimming then and wrestling and i think that john smith was probably the most dominant very close to dan gable. i saw on a plaque out in iowa that he did not give up a sinlge point through olympic run. pretty dominant sounding to me! ;D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeandBreighton Posted August 25, 2012 Share Posted August 25, 2012 Phelps is the greatest, end of discussion. Any of the arguments (swimming is too exclusive so only rich white kids do it, swimming has too many opportunities for medals) just don't hold water (pardon the pun). His dominance is unparalleled at the olympics in any sport. Keep in mind that I can't swim worth a lick so I have no personal appreciation for his feats. I have just totally enjoyed watching him mow down the competition especially during his previous two olympics. This olympics is just a coronation of his achievemnets. Wildcat, you and Skip Bayless and Michael Wilbon can remain in the tiny minority that believe Phelps not to be the greatest olympian to date. totally disagree. If I have 40 chances to win, and win 20, that isn't any more impressive than winning one, and only getting one shot. Add for the best Olympian that represents whatthe olympic spirit is all about, I'd say Potorious is the greatest olympic Steele of all time. I can't imagine being born with out legs, and still believing in yourself enough to think you could even compete with the best in the world. To me, that is what the greatest Steele in the world did Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleB Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 You have more than one chance to win in wrestling, enter multiple wgt classes. It's not like phelps medaled all at one event, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1oldwrestler Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 totally disagree. If I have 40 chances to win, and win 20, that isn't any more impressive than winning one, and only getting one shot. Add for the best Olympian that represents whatthe olympic spirit is all about, I'd say Potorious is the greatest olympic Steele of all time. I can't imagine being born with out legs, and still believing in yourself enough to think you could even compete with the best in the world. To me, that is what the greatest Steele in the world did I don't know the exact number of events Phelps enetered in his 4 olympics for sure but I thinks it was something like 5 (maybe 4) in 2000, 8 in 2004, 8 in 2008 and 7 (maybe 6) in 2012. That is being entered in at least 28 events, medaling in 22, an astonishing 78% rate. Quite a bit different than the 50% rate you list in your post. Also, if you are that impressed with an athlete to call him the greatest Olympian ever, learn how to spell the guy's name, it's Pistorius. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1prouddad Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 I don't know the exact number of events Phelps enetered in his 4 olympics for sure but I thinks it was something like 5 (maybe 4) in 2000, 8 in 2004, 8 in 2008 and 7 (maybe 6) in 2012. That is being entered in at least 28 events, medaling in 22, an astonishing 78% rate. Quite a bit different than the 50% rate you list in your post. Also, if you are that impressed with an athlete to call him the greatest Olympian ever, learn how to spell the guy's name, it's Pistorius. Pistoris is an athlete within him self and all the paralympics that follow him. I for one, am a great supporter for this young man that competed against some of the best in the world and made the 1/4 finals. However, as much as a fan that I am about wrestling, Phelps is the man. I could care less if it is in relays(which he used his superior ability to win in some cases from behind) or anything less beyond. This young man set a standard that may be set for years for athletes to achieve. As for the Russian bear, he was far more superior in what he done as well. There may never be another wrestler like him in years. The only thing for me that concludes my choice is that when Phelps lost, he challenged himself to strive more, the BEAR retired due to defeat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fabio Jr. Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 The correct answer is whoever won the rythmic gymnastics ribbion twirl...we can all go home now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1oldwrestler Posted August 27, 2012 Share Posted August 27, 2012 The correct answer is whoever won the rythmic gymnastics ribbion twirl...we can all go home now Gott give us a break. There really hasn't been anything to argue about for months though the season isn't far off! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TripleB Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 What's a "ribbion?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarlHungus Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 What's a "ribbion?" Its Outback steakhouse's newest treat, combining the juicy goodness of BBQ ribs with the deep fried deliciousness of the blooming onion into one irresistible delight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Y2CJ41 Posted August 28, 2012 Share Posted August 28, 2012 TripleB's ears just perked up at this one! He didn't know eating was an Olympic event! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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