Is Phelps The Greatest Olympic Athlete Ever?

It’s hard to argue against him. Michael Phelps is a freak of swimming nature. He has set a world record in almost every event he’s won.

And yesterday, he swam in the men’s 200m butterfly and set yet another world record with a time of 1:52.03. Fifty minutes later, Phelps climbed back into the pool and swam a relay race for another gold. He led off and put the U.S. so far ahead that they swam the entire relay in under seven minutes — a feat that is almost unfathomable unless you saw it with your own eyes.

That little world record green line that you see on your television screen in front of the swimmers was BEHIND him and the rest of his relay team the entire race. It was amazing. Phelps is amazing. But is he the greatest Olympic athlete ever?

Mark Spitz might have something to say about that. Really, though, he’s said enough already.

The broken world records and the gold medals speak for themselves. When the 2008 Beijing Olympics are said and done, Phelps will stand alone. He will get his 8 gold medals. And I believe he will go down as the greatest Olympic athlete the world has ever seen.

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