Let's takes this in a different direction, who is the greatest Olympic athlete of all time (or Favorite). At this point, I am putting Phelps in the number 1 spot, what he is doing in unreal, second would be Jessie Owens. I think my favorite would have to be my childhood love, brought to me by the Red, White and Blue triple cast from 1992, Summer Sanders!
Swimming has too many events and it makes it too easy to pile up medals. What other sport has someone in 8 events? Therefore I tend to discount swimmers. If track and field was like swimming and had the 100 meter dash, 100 meters backwards, 100 meters skipping and 100 meters walking, plus more relays and Individual Medleys, Carl Lewis would have 25 gold medals.
Spitz won seven gold medals in seven world records in 1972. Phelps is 5 for 5. How can you put him over Spitz until he at least goes 7 for 7? As of this moment he is at best #2 in swimming all-time.
Greatest ever in order
1. Steven Redgrave - 5 rowing gold medals in five consecutive Olympics - at the top of his game for 16 years!
2. Paavo Nurmi - the flying Fin won gold in 9 distance events between 1920 and 1928. We may never see another distance runner like him again - have not in almost 100 years.
3. Carl Lewis, 9 golds, tied Jessie Owens with 4 in 1984 - at the top of his game for 12 years.
4. Jackie Joyner Keresy - Heptalon and long jump 1984 to 1996, possibly the greatest woman athlete of all-time
5. Al Orter, 4 consecutive Gold in the Shot Put - at the top of his game for 12 years.
6. Eric Heiden, won all five speedsakting gold medals in the 1980 Olympics.
7. Emil Zatopek, won the 5000, 10000 and marathon in the 1956 Olympics, a feat which may never be duplicated
8. Mark Spitz - 7 golds and seven world records in 1972.
9. Nadia Comaneci - 4 perfect scores in 1976
10. Jesse Owens - 4 golds in 1936
*** If Phelps goes 8 for 8 WR, I'll put him as #8 and move Spitz and the rest down. If he comes back in 2012 in London and wins another 8 gold medals (he'll be 27), he goes to #1. Again swimming has way too many events and makes it easy to pile up hardware. You cannot duplicate Spitz and be #1 if Spitz is not #1.
Two special mentions - even though they won only one gold, what they did was very special
Bob Beamon - 1968 gold in the long jump at 29 feet 2 inches, still the third longest jump ever (behind Mike Conley, father of Ohio State basketball player Mike Conley Jr., and Carl Lewis). This year will mark the 40th anniversay of this Olympic Record. It might last another 40 years.
Dick Fosbury - 1968 gold medal in the high jump. The inventor of the Fosbury flop not only won gold, but forever changed the high jump.
