Michael Phelps vs. Usain Bolt: Who is the Greater Olympian – The Most Decorated Athlete or The Fastest Man Alive?
American competitive swimmer Michael Phelps and Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt both bid farewell to their respective Olympic careers after the Rio 2016. The retirement of the two great athletes who fulfilled all lofty expectations ignited debates and comparisons.
Michael Phelps vs. Usain Bolt
Phelps ended his glorious Olympic career with 28 medals, cementing his status as the most decorated athlete in the history of the international sporting event. He holds the all-time high record of 23 Olympic gold medals in 30 events of his five Olympic appearances. The 31-year-old swimmer is also the long course world record holder in the 200-meter butterfly, 100-meter butterfly and 400-meter individual medley.
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Bolt, on the other hand, capped his triumphant Olympic run with nine gold medals. He raked all gold medals in the 100, 200 and 4x100 races of the past three consecutive Summer Olympics. The 30-year-old sprinter also earned the accolade as the fastest human ever timed after becoming the first athlete to hold both the 100 meters and 200 meters world records.
Who is The Greater Olympian?
According to Henry Bushnell of Yahoo Sports, comparing athletes like Phelps and Bolt who excel in different sports is impossible. He, however, added that the American swimmer should be the greater Olympian considering that he holds more gold medals than the Jamaican sprinter.
Bushnell acknowledged that Bolt has the indubitable dominance in his sport compared to Phelps. But he stressed that Bolt's repertoire is limited compared to Phelps who won golds in the medleys, the freestyle and the butterfly. He opined that Phelps' longevity and multifariousness will make him stand out than Bolt in the Olympic history.
Tom Weir, columnist of Bleacher Report, shared the same opinion that Phelps should be the greater Olympian. He said that Bolt left Phelps in the dust in terms of charisma but he simply cannot match the swimmer's numbers.
Weir pointed out that Phelps does not get all the credits for elevating swimming, but he made the sport a must-see event at the Olympics. This legacy, combined with his overwhelming number of medals, made him the greater Olympian than Bolt.
Unnecessary
Moreover, Maggie Hendricks of USA Today placed both Phelps and Bolt at the top of her 2016 Olympic power rankings. She said that figuring out the better Olympian among Phelps and Bolt is completely unnecessary because they are both unequalled in their own right.
On the other hand, Tim Layden of Sports Illustrated wrote that regardless of who is the greater Olympian, the names of Phelps and Bolt in their respective sports will not be replaced. He stated that the records of the great athletes will endure in the history of the sporting event.
