BangleMan

Michael Phelps should be congratulated on his magnificent achievement of 11 Olympic Gold medals , and Im not suggesting otherwise .....

BUT........Come on now, swimming is an easier event to win medals in than Track and Field, so it hardly makes him the greatest Olympian ever !

I dont know how many different distances there are in swimming, but multiply those by the various strokes (freestyle, backstroke, breast stroke, butterfly) and thats a hell of a lot of medals up for grabs.

True, there are a lot of different distances to run in track and field.......but you can only "run" one way,.....there are NOT 4 different styles of running !!

nottmbantam

Yes, he should be congratulated, its a great achievement.

Like you,I also wonder how comparatively 'easier ' it is, but in the greater scheme of things, its all relative.

In football,Dixie Dean once scored 60goals in a single season for Everton in the early 1920's, a record which still stands today and will probably stand for an awfully long time. Modern day fans and supporters say it was easy in those days to score so many goals.

I think its impressive that Phelps can adapt his swimming style to beat everyone else. Its up to the others to do better than him,and so far,no-one else has managed.

BUT - winning multiple golds in track and field has far more kudos and glamour e.g. Carl Lewis, Kelly Holmes - and seems to be recognised as a 'bigger' achievement.

shiva

how is swimming any easier at the top level than any other sport? How many golds do you have?

A long time ago I trained with a gold winning olympian (swimming) and trust me swimming at that level is NOT easy in any way shape or form. Also the different strokes require completely different techniques and also different muscle groups, so to be a gold medalist in several different strokes is a monumental achievement

MacScot

Zeus ?

Spugsy

how about daley thompson? he was brilliant, had a class tache and also played lower league footy and was once sent off for headbutting someone,

what a bloke.

BangleMan

As I said I dont belittle what an achievement it is, but you can only run one way, and not 4 ways, and therefore there is more opportunity for medals in swimming than there is in track and field events

BangleMan

I remember watchinmg him in awe on TV in the 1984 Olympics, as you say a top bloke and a member of "Essex" Beagles so from my neck of the woods.

Talking of Essex Beagles, Fatima Whitbread who was a member ,goes to the gym where my boys play tennis every night back home, and have seen her many times. She is nowhere near as big as she was when she was throwing the javelin, but is still extremely fit looking (as in muscles, not looks before someone says something !)

Bonny Boy

Eddie the Eagle.

shiva

thats a ridiculous answer.

so swimming is easier because you have to master more than one technique?!?
what about decathlon or a 200m runner also doing javelin, theres nothing that prevents track and field athletes from enterning more events

BangleMan

Personally, I would say Steve Redgrave. To have that dedication / detemination over 20+ years in such a physically demanding sport as rowing is truly awesome.......Im fcked after 10mins on the rowing machine in the gym !!

BangleMan

How is it ridiculous, its a fact.

Swiming is swimming. Ok you learn 4 different techniques, but you're in a pool using your arms to move through water.

To learn different track and field events is totally different. If it wasnt then there would be a dozen Daley Thompson's in the history of the Olympics

Im not a swimming expert, but its not uncommon for swimmers to win 2, 3, 4 Golds at at time.....How many athletes win 3 or 4 Golds at a time ? Very few indeed, which kind of proves my point

shiva

clearly

Spugsy

what in the whoel world of sports are the 'essex beagles'??

And doesn't fatima whitbread have a cock?

nottmbantam

The Essex Beagles is, I believe, an athletics club. Like Kidderminister Harriers? Daley was a top bloke, great dominance in his field.

Dunno about Fatima though

Blue Cat