Why Michael Phelps may not be the Greatest Olympian Ever

LONDON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 03: Gold medallist Michael Phelps of the United States celebrates following the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men

Michael Phelps officially has the most Olympic medals than anyone in the history of Olympics. After securing the gold medal in the 100-metre butterfly today, Phelps earns his much deserved 17^th Olympic gold medal, an astonishing accomplishment. This totals his Olympic medal count to an incredible feat of 21 medals. This is Phelps’ last Olympics and he made it count, officially earning seven medals more than anyone else as of today.

Despite going slightly slower than in the semifinals, Phelps explains, “It’s a good way to finish my last individual swim ever.” Phelps explains, “To be able to win it is pretty special.”

Phelps is undoubtedly the most decorated Olympian ever. Many athletes can only dream of achieving such an impressive feat, as even a single gold medal is an incredible accomplishment. But whether Phelps is the greatest Olympian ever is still debatable.

What would be the criteria for defining the ultimate Olympian? The medal count offers assurance of an athlete’s skill and abilities. Phelps’ remarkable feat in swimming undeniably guarantees he is the most accomplished and prominent swimmer to ever compete in the Olympics. But the most medals doesn’t always define the best athlete in history.

While swimming is a sport offering multiple events offering specialization, various other team sports such as rowing, basketball or hockey do not offer the same range of events. The list of athletes with multiple Olympic medals over their career dominantly includes swimmers and gymnasts. It’s no surprise Soviet Union’s gymnast Larisa Latynina is whom Phelps beat out for the title for the most Olympic medals. This isn’t to belittle their incredible achievements, but to shed light on why it’s nearly impossible to declare who is the greatest Olympian in history. Despite being the greatest hockey player, a hockey player can never win more than one medal in every Olympics. By the end of two to three Olympic Games, younger athletes replace the experienced veterans. It is almost impossible to win more than a few medals in such sports.

Two-time gold medalist in athletics, Lord Coe states, “My personal view is I’m not sure he’s the greatest,” he adds, “But he’s certainly the most successful.”

Coe explains, “Whether he’s the greatest, I don’t know. I could go around this whole room and we’d come up with different interpretations. You’d have to say he’s up there. Is he the greatest? In my opinion, probably not. But my opinion means no more than anyone else’s.”

Another reason Phelps may not be the greatest Olympic athlete is considering the fact that there are many athletes who specialize in more than a single sport. Wouldn’t the greatest athlete include someone who can master multiple sports? Christa Luding-Rothenburger from East Germany won a gold medal for speed-skating at the 1000 meters event, and a silver medal in the 500 meters event in the 1988 winter Olympics. She also won a silver medal for sprint cycling in the same year in the summer Olympics. Luding-Rothenburger is the only athlete to win medals in both, summer and winter Olympics in the same year. Eddie Eagan, Jacob Tullin Thams, and Clara Hughes are also athletes with summer and winter Olympic medals in multiple sports. Who is the greatest Olympian ever? This may always remain debatable.