Posted By:
BrianSpitz v. Phelps August 17 2008, 2:26 PM
I would give the nod to Phelps but it is not a no brainer.
Spitz could have won 8 golds if they had a 50.
Spitz's margins of victory were, I believe, generally larger. No photo finishes.
Spitz won the glamour event, the 100 free.
On the other side of the ledger, the relays are more competitive now and the pressure on Phelps was far greater. And Phelps had a much stronger debut than Spitz, who was a relative disappointment in Mexico City. And, what tips the balance for me is that Phelps won gold in an individual medley. Not quite the same of course as the impossible feat of someone winning an individual track or field event and the decathlon, but still...
This message has been edited by Peter_Spaeth on Aug 17, 2008 2:30 PM
I agree, Spitz would have won his 8th if the events were there. Spitz set 7 world records in his 7 events. Phelps set the world record when everyone else was also. In some events the 2nd place winner beat the previous record. Was there a swimming event where the World Record wasn't broken this Olympics?
Will someone possibly win more gold in swimming in one Olymics. Maybe. The events could be spread out over more days thus giving more oppritunity to be in more events. They said on NBC that Phelps could have raced in another event, but it was way to close to the times his other events finished.