No More Debates Please - Phelps is the Best

After winning his eighth gold medal in these 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Michael Phelps and his singular achievement have provided an answer to a question that was supposed to never have a clear-cut one. Who is the greatest olympian of all time? Clearly, it is Micahel Phelps, and it will be for years to come.



Astonishingly, there are still those that would contend this. Apparently some claim that Phelps "had it easy," since swimming has a veritable plethora of medals available for the taking. Some claim that other olympians, like Jesse Owens or Carl Lewis, have more significant or memorable olympic achievements. Whatever the reasons being given, they all have one thing in common. They are all rubbish.



Barring a negative drug test, what Phelps has achieved is nothing short of super human. While I may have to defer to Jesse Owens as the olympian with the greatest impact on the world and its history, the "American Superfish" produced the greatest olympic performance in the history of mankind.



For the record, Phelps won eight gold medals in the 2008 Olympic Games, plus another six in Athens in 2004. Not only does he have the record for most medals won in one olympics, he also has the distinction of the athlete with the most olympic gold medals ever.



In these Beijing Games, Phelps pocketed five individual golds and three team golds. Phelps reigned in the 400m individual medley, 4 X 100 freestyle, 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 4 X 200m butterfly, 200m medley, 100m butterfly and the 4 X 100 medley.



If the question is about the variety of his medals, remember that he won multiple medals on both the free style and butterfly, and he won on the 100, 200 and 400m events. If the question is about dominance, how about considering that he set either a world or olympic record in each of the events that he joined. If the question is about being challenged, remember that he is the most bemedalled athlete in a non-boycotted games. That means that the world sent its best. In fact, he faced tough challenges from France (which threatened his 4 X 100m freestyle gold) and from Croat Cavic (who threatened his 100m butterfly gold), but he still came out on top. What was most amazing about this achievement was that he did it under the greatest of pressures, with his country hyping up his every move, and the best swimmers in the world all after his head.



If doing what Phelps did in Beijing is so freakin' easy, why hasn't this achievement been done before? (Mark Spitz, the previous record holder, won 7 over 30 years ago!) It simply cannot be denied. In this olympic journey where the weight and pressure to achieve "8" was strong enough to make the toughest of men choke and wimp out, Phelps stood tall and delivered. In this sport where a thousand things could wrong and over a dozen competitors aimed to destroy your legacy, Phelps persevered and beat everyone fair and square.



The scary part about it all? He is still going to compete in London four years from now. Is Michael Phelps the greatest olympian the world has ever seen. Yeah. (8x)