Michael Phelps - Better than Ian Thorpe ?

[morgieb]

Yes, he is. Argubly the greatest olympian ever.

 

[Smudge]

But how was the ***?

 

[Sanz]

Was thinking of starting a similar thread a week or so ago.

In my opinion, yes. I guess the problem with swimming (and numerous other sports) is that in the end, the main test of your ability is the Olympics. If your peak doesn't coincide with the Olympics, then to an extent it's bad luck. However, I think we'll see in China Phelps is a better swimmer.

The variety of events he's winning in pays testament to that.

Good Call. Didn't Thorpe's peak coincide with Olympics in 2000 and 2004 ?

 

[Sanz]

Phelps miles and miles ahead of Thorpe.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

Except in the 400.

 

[Anil]

phelps easily the greater swimmer of the two, probably the greatest of all time...

 

[Matt79]

phelps easily the greater swimmer of the two, probably the greatest of all time...

Yeah, I don't think there's any shame in saying that while Thorpe is probably in the Sachin or Lara class, Phelps is moving himself into the Bradman or Jordan class. It's not that Thorpe isn't one of the very greatest, but Phelps is in another league from everyone else.

 

[Sanz]

Sad thing is Thorpe had the potential to be the greatest. He just wasn't interested or perhaps afraid of losing to Phelps. The guy is still 25 and he has retired. He should have been in the pool challenging Phelps not outside of it and making silly comments.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

He got absolutely hammered by the Aussie press every day, I don't blame him for retiring and good luck to him.

 

[Matt79]

Without being more disrespectful to other swimmers than is necessary, I think Thorpe had sufficient intellect and varied interests that after almost ten years of being a swimmer and having more money or fame than he could realistically need for the rest of his life, he decided there was more to life than watching a black line go up and down.

I'd have loved to see him go against Phelps when they were both closer to their respective peaks than we got to see.

 

[pasag]

Yeah, Thorpe became a huge celebrity and personality and had a million opportunities that there just wasn't the need to put himself through the intense training once he'd already peaked.

 

[dontcloseyoureyes]

And unlike Phelps he doesn't look like a skinny orangutan.

 

[Jono]

Sad thing is Thorpe had the potential to be the greatest. He just wasn't interested or perhaps afraid of losing to Phelps. The guy is still 25 and he has retired. He should have been in the pool challenging Phelps not outside of it and making silly comments.

Whilst its always a shame (and sometimes confusing) when elite sports people retire very early, I don't think you can ever really criticise someone for retiring too early unless you're in their boots. Similar to Bjorn Borg, Justine Henin and Kim Clijsters (only elite sports-people I can recall that retired weirdly early), I'm sure Thorpe was sick of doing the same thing day-in day-out, and waking up every morning being potted by the Australian media.

 

[ripper868]

Phelps easily better, and he's not a complete tool too, well done to him...

Not yet, but he will be.

**Swimming predictions Thread**

 

[FaaipDeOiad]

I actually think Thorpe had the more "unbeatable" air, in his chosen discipline, which was the 400 Freestyle. I watched Thorpe swim that distance a lot and it never looked for even a second that he could possibly lose in it. Phelps is a little different from that.

Phelps, to me, is beatable in various disciplines, but he's just so amazingly versatile. I could certainly imagine him failing to win in most of the races he did win in China, but there's no way any other swimmer could match his ability to be the best in so many different forms of swimming. Thorpe was competent in various disciplines and the best in the world for a time in two of the main Freestyle distances, but it was only in the 400 where he was ridiculously better than the competition.

Phelps definitely better all-round.

 

[sledger]

Thorpe > Phelps imo.

 

[GIMH]

Yeah, AWTA

 

[Jakester1288]

Phelps is undoubtably better AFAIC. I mean, 8 gold medals in as many events, 7 in world record time and the other in Olympic time, if he is not on drugs, he is a machine. He deserves the title of greatest swimmer ever.

 

[Spinksy]

Phelps is undoubtably better AFAIC. I mean, 8 gold medals in as many events, 7 in world record time and the other in Olympic time, if he is not on drugs, he is a machine. He deserves the title of greatest swimmer ever.

Disagree, Thorpey is a gun. (And he's Australian)

 

[Jakester1288]

Disagree, Thorpey is a gun. (And he's Australian)

I know he is gun. But did he enter 8 events and get gold in each, with every one of them in Olympic record time and 7 of them in world record time? No.

And because he is Australian is totally irrelevant to the question, who is better...