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Sound off: How Impressive is Phelps record breaking medal count?

06:20 PM - August 1, 2012 by RaychelSnr

Michael Phelps is a record holder: he has the most medals out of any Olympian ever in history. Some are wanting to call Phelps the greatest Olympic athlete of all time, but it's worth noting that he happens to be great in a sport with numerous events. I'm not sure you can call him the best Olympic Athlete ever just based on his medal count -- as making a case for dominance in a sport long term could be made for many others.

However, winning 18 medals total (I'm avoiding Olympic results so this could have easily changed) is no small feat. It's one worthy of celebration.

So what about you? Is Michael Phelps the best ever? How impressed are you by his medal count?

Member Comments

# 1 Retropyro @ 08/01/12 06:29 PM

He is a great swimmer & a great Olympian. But he is not the best Olympic athlete of all time. Especially when there are athletes who have competed and won medals in both the winter and summer Olympics.
Now should he show up in 2014 and compete & medal in say Speed skating, well then he moves to the top of the list.

# 2 CM Hooe @ 08/01/12 08:17 PM

Michael Phelps is one of the most impressive athletes of all time in any sport. Ever.

# 3 bosoxfan1 @ 08/01/12 08:30 PM

c'mon 15 of those are GOLD medals, he's been that good! I don't ever care for swimming but he's up there. Yes, there's numerous events but they compete more than once in a single day... don't think that's easy to do.

# 4 elgreazy1 @ 08/01/12 08:38 PM

Great athlete who put in the work and dedication. But I have never viewed swimming on the same level of athleticism as, say, those competing in decathlons.

# 5 Find_the_Door @ 08/01/12 09:57 PM

Kinda disappointed in Phelps lately, he seems to have lost his competitive drive over the last four years, darn shame too.

# 6 Gleebo @ 08/01/12 10:25 PM

You gotta love a guy who can blow bingers in the evening and win 19 Olympic Medals....He has dominated that sport for 20 years no other athlete that I can remember has been that dominant for that long...maybe Gretzky.

# 7 Sovartus @ 08/01/12 11:17 PM

Ummmmm.... jordan?

# 8 Sovartus @ 08/01/12 11:18 PM

Ummmmm.... Russell?

# 9 Bull_Dozer @ 08/01/12 11:32 PM

Good for him. But... it's still just swimming, sport I put on the level of table tennis or shot putting.

# 10 jmik58 @ 08/02/12 12:07 AM

I've always played down his accomplishments due to the fact there are so many variations of swimming events.

There are no other Olympic sports with the same opportunity for that sport's athletes.

Great for him over the course of his career. He's perhaps the greatest swimmer, but I don't think you can remove the term "swimmer" from any label you give him.

# 11 bigsmallwood @ 08/02/12 02:05 AM

Michael Phelps broke a record that was near impossible to do. We may never see another person come close to accomplishing what he has just done. People do not give swimmers enough credit for their sport and Phelps has been the best in the world for almost 4 Olympics straight. Regardless of his out of the pool activities, he has earned the right to be called the greatest Olympian EVER.

@Bull_Dozer....as an athlete myself, I would love to see you swim the 200M butterfly and we shall see if you call it "just swimming".

# 12 gigadkc @ 08/02/12 08:43 AM

he did it during the steroid era, so yeah ... very "impressive" XD. tbh he may be the best swimmer of all time but I don't trust any athlete that wins a gold medal these days, let alone 15.

# 13 Yeah...THAT Guy @ 08/02/12 09:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigsmallwood


	Michael Phelps broke a record that was near impossible to do. We may never see another person come close to accomplishing what he has just done. People do not give swimmers enough credit for their sport and Phelps has been the best in the world for almost 4 Olympics straight. Regardless of his out of the pool activities, he has earned the right to be called the greatest Olympian EVER. @Bull_Dozer....as an athlete myself, I would love to see you swim the 200M butterfly and we shall see if you call it "just swimming".

Isn't this his 3rd Olympics? He dominated two Olympics and has been very good but not dominant in this year's.

# 14 bigsmallwood @ 08/02/12 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yeah...THAT Guy


	Isn't this his 3rd Olympics? He dominated two Olympics and has been very good but not dominant in this year's.

I believe he took part in the 2000 Olympics as well. And you are right he hasn't been close to being dominant this Olympics. He still has 3 events left though.

I would argue there are about 5 people who could be greatest Olympian ever, but Phelps belongs in the conversation.

# 15 cnilsson2 @ 08/02/12 01:20 PM

we'll talk about that at the end of the olympics...

# 16 Joobieo @ 08/02/12 10:33 PM

Best winner , not the best athlete in the Olympics .

# 17 pabryant @ 08/03/12 04:02 PM

The man plead guilty to smoking an illegal substance. He was video taped for the whole world to see breaking the law; which the American media seems to have forgotten. I won't even begin to discuss the myriad of reasons why HE has been given a pass. Sean Taylor dies, is MURDERED, in his own home and the media brings up everything he's done wrong since he was an adolescent. I think what he has accomplished is phenomenal,.. but NO, he should not be in the conversation of greatest Olympic athletes ever. PERIOD.

# 18 ImaGamer_OS @ 08/04/12 10:29 PM

You have witnessed the Greatest Olympian Of All Time just post a benchmark that we may not see matched in our life times if at all. I can only laugh at those posting from their Ivory Towers or standing on their soap box dissecting the flaws of Michael Phelps the human being (e.g. caught smoking pot). The less said the better as there are so many holes in their argument or "point" attempting to be made here.

How impressive is this achievement from Michael Phelps? Once in a lifetime.

# 19 Cod @ 08/05/12 01:44 AM

He was good, but not great. One needs to remember that he won eight gold medals and set a few records in 2008 while using a swimsuit that is now banned. Ironically, the swimsuit was released right before the Olympics, so the IOC was unable to properly test it prior to the games. So please don't give me the "it was legal at the time" argument. Also, I'm not saying he wouldn't have won anything in 2008, but we'll never know.

The suit I mentioned is the Speedo LZR Racer and Speedo only let the USA team have the technology.

Greatest Olympian...not in my eyes.

# 20 pabryant @ 08/05/12 07:49 PM

@ImaGamer_OS
Do you feel the same way about the accomplishments of Joe Pa, Sandusky, and the coaching staff of Penn State that were/are incriminated and/or involved in Penn State University's recent scandal? The benchmark they set is also once in a lifetime. Would you open up with them in a discussion of the greatest coaching staff in NCAA football history? If so, you may stop reading, I concede to your consistency. If not, then you must ask yourself, "why not?" And in doing such, any inconsistency between the two is founded in you, yourself, standing upon your own ivory tower or soap box, if you will. My statement was not without vivid example of the difference in treatment from one great athlete to another great athlete, purely based on dissection of the flaws of an individual. A common practice throughout the media. It is done to shape/manipulate audience emotion, causing strong reactions, not unlike your own in defense of Micheal Phelps, so that they, the media, can make money.
Those that proclaim his greatness also stand upon their ivory tower and/or soap box and proclaim it. They choose to ignore his indiscretions while choosing those whom do not meet Mr. Phelps' profile, and/or Mr. Phelps' unique ability to make them money presently, as targets of remembrance of their flaws; because THAT is what makes them more money than the former.
If this is not clear enough, we can freely discuss it in a tactful way outside of this post. I never shy away from the opportunity to be further educated in a subject.
Good day

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Sound off: How Impressive is Phelps record breaking medal count?