michael phelps vs. usain bolt....better athlete???

Bolt's a superior athlete to Bolt. I don't think it's really even that close. Swimming is probably more about technique than intrinsic ability.

It really is technique plus intrinsic ability. To quote respected coach Paul Yetter, 'Anyone can make AA time standards if they're willing to work hard; if you want to go faster than that, you need to pick your parents carefully'. (AA times are pretty much state championship qualifying times in a lot of areas)

As for the suits, that technology got rolled back to about 1998-99 levels as of the start of the 2010 season. While there were a handful of short course world records last year, it was mainly because short course swimming is like indoor track- you're lucky to get half the big names to show up at any point in that season, and some really fast people who didn't bother with SCM in the suit era of 08-09 finally decided to do a little racing in that format.

The only long course swimmer that got close to a tech suit world record in the first year of the post-tech era was Rebecca Soni in the 200 breaststroke. (and she was two and a half seconds faster than anyone else was in the event last year)

Concerned Citizen wrote:

Apples and oranges.

Who's a better athlete, Michael Jordan or Diego Maradona? Who is a better creative artist, James Joyce or Pablo Picasso? Hell, who's the best miler of all time?

You're joking right? The best miler is the one .. now get this .. with the fastest time!

That should have said Bolt is a superior athlete to Phelps. Remember, I am an insane idiot.

Phelps is toast now that the Thorpedo is coming back

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/sport/thorpe-joins-the-worlds-great-comeback-kings/story-e6frecj3-1226000400982

Phelps is involved in a niche sport, engaged in primarily underwater, and has incredibly long arms and huge flipper-like feet.

Are you freaking serious?

Bolt conducts himslef upright on land, and is better at running fast than anyone in history, which translates to virtually every other athletic activity, except those niche sports, such as swimming, yachting, darts, ets.

How can a swimmer be compared to an athlete?

Anyone else get a high functioning autistic/asperger's vibe from Phelps? He just seems a little off in public.

can bolt swim? phelps broke his first WR when he was 15. that was AFTER he finishing 5th at the sydney olympics and he has dominated ever since. and bolt is just amazing. it's hard to compare athletes competing in different sports. they're both up there

You are wrong. We are not talking about who is most dominant in their specific endeavor. We are deciding who is the best athlete. Phelps move well in water, his oddball environment, but that does not translate to athletic activitiies, which are primarily conducted on land, at speed, with power, agility, and speed as the basis for excellence (see Bolt). Dumb topic, dumber responses in favor of flipper boy.

joho wrote:

turkey leg wrote:

Hippos are. They are happy while crabs are, well, crabby.

Your welcome.

My vote is with the crab. You ever eat hippo?

And now for something not completely different:

The Hippopotamus

Behold the hippopotamus!

We laugh at how he looks to us,

And yet in moments dank and grim,

I wonder how we look to him.

Peace, peace, thou hippopotamus!

We really look all right to us,

As you no doubt delight the eye

Of other hippopotami.

- Ogden Nash

Only one post alluded to the so-called "elephant in the room".

Bongs or spliffs?

You moron, I swam competitively for 15 years. And I can still say that a 1500m/400H double would be more ridiculous and unheard of than any possible double in swimming.

Phelps is a phenom, obviously. But having a good 400 IM and a good 200 fly and a good 200 free have never been unheard of. Doubling 400 hurdles and 1500 is unheard of.

Got it?

Which is the better athlete -- Secretariat or the world's fastest-swimming horse?

to summarize all the points,

Best athlete can refer to a few different things, depending on each persons definition of "Best Athlete."

Some might consider the most dominate in their sport and others might refer to actually being athletic enough to play many sports at a high level.

Both are equally domintate in each of their sports, setting crazy world records and having no true competitors as they are that much better, or were.

Phelps has been said to be extremely clumsy on land and is from most accounts, not athletic in that sense. Bolt is clearly an athletic person from his share power, balance and speed displayed in his racing, not to mention a soccer background.

Track and Field is so highly competitive around the world is isn't even funny. Anyone and everyone who thought they were fast has run the 100 meters to see how fast they really are. Most of every high school in the country has a track and field team.

Swimming is so uncompetitive around the world, it is funny. You have to have a pool to swim and in some countrys, there are no pools or they are not open to the public. Swimming at the high school level in the US is not a major sport and this is also noted in college with so few programs across the country (not as bad as wrestling #s in college though). Only a few countries around the world take swimming seriously.

Both athletes were awesome.