Best American Summer Olympian?

• OneBuckeye

  

  http://espn.go.com/olympics/summer/2012/story/_/page/GreatestAthlete3/2012-olympics-summer-greats-look-best-olympians
  
  Micheal Phelps?
  
  Agree?
  
  
  
  

  1	Michael Phelps Swim eight events, win all of them. OK, fine. Everyone knew eight gold medals was impossible -- so many things can go wrong in an Olympic swim meet -- yet everyone was equally sure Phelps could do it. Under enormous pressure brought on by his once-in-a-generation talent, Phelps easily could have buckled under expectations at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. But Phelps never blinked in his quest to top Mark Spitz, and his voyage became a nightly TV soap opera for Americans. And Phelps, a monumental athlete, was up to the task.
  2	Jesse Owens Here was a hero, an athlete so great even the German propagandists made him the star of their films about the 1936 Berlin Olympics, where Owens took golds in the 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 relay and long jump. Owens was an athlete so far ahead of his time that his long jump record from 1936 stood for nearly a quarter-century. To this day, he remains a barrier-breaking standard bearer for what the Games can show the world.
  3	Carl Lewis It is possible for a man to live up to great expectations, and still be underappreciated. Lewis is such a man. He matched Jesse Owens in 1984, which was no surprise. He was King Carl, and the whole world expected him to win the 100, 200, long jump and 400 relay. What was surprising was his staying power. He burst onto the scene after making the Olympic team in 1980 and refused to go away until 1996, when he won his fourth gold in the long jump, his ninth gold overall. The King had given all he had, which was a lot.
  4	Mark Spitz The brash Californian predicted he would win six swimming gold medals in Mexico City. But he won just two relay golds in 1968. But Spitz rebounded in Munich with a mustache for the ages and a performance to match: seven events, seven gold medals. His career medal total of nine golds is tied for second on the all-time list; seven golds in one Games has only been exceeded by one man, some guy named Michael Phelps.
  5	Michael Johnson Things human beings weren't supposed to be able to do: win the 200 and 400 in the same Olympics and hold world records in those events simultaneously; run fast with a low knee lift and an upper-body position that resembled someone in the Milwaukee Brewers' sausage race. Johnson did all these things on his way to four gold medals, three in the 1996 Games, becoming the dominant sprinter of the 1990s and setting a 400 world mark (43.18) in 1999 that no one has approached.
  6	Wilma Rudolph Want a revelation? Hunt around the web for old clips of Rudolph at the 1960 Olympics. What you'll see, especially in her smashing 200 victory, is the same feeling inspired by Usain Bolt in 2008 -- a runner pushing boundaries of possibility. Rudolph, who overcame complications from polio, did that her whole life, winning 100, 200 and 4x100 relay golds in Rome, then insisting on an integrated victory ceremony when she came home to Tennessee. Revelatory.
  7	Jim Thorpe The Games' decathlon turns 100 this year, and with it the Olympic legend of Thorpe. The American won gold in the since-discontinued pentathlon and decathlon at the 1912 Stockholm Games, setting records that held up for decades. His victory also spawned a story that resonated: When told by Sweden's King Gustav V, "You are the greatest athlete in the world," Thorpe supposedly replied, "Thanks, King."
  8	Greg Louganis The DiMaggio of Diving, Louganis' athletic yet seemingly effortless style on the platform and springboard netted him five medals from 1976-88, four of them gold. He would have likely earned another two titles in Moscow had the U.S. competed. The obstacles he overcame to achieve that success, including an abusive childhood and HIV diagnosis before the 1988 Games, make his triumphs even more laudable.
  9	Jackie Joyner-Kersee Joyner-Kersee may be the best female athlete ever for her work on UCLA's hoops team, as well as in track. But she's best known for the Games. She won silver in the heptathlon at the 1984 L.A. Olympics, then gold in the same event in the next two Olympics. The 1988 Seoul Games marked the pinnacle of her career; she won one of her many duels against East Germany's Heike Drechsler to win the long jump, then set a world heptathlon record that stands to this day.
  10	Natalie Coughlin With a medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay in London, the 29-year-old Coughlin can tie Jenny Thompson and Dara Torres for most medals by a female U.S. Olympian with 12. But Coughlin's numbers are already more significant. She has medaled in every single Olympic event she has entered, her back-to-back 100 backstroke golds are unprecedented and she has five individual medals.

• Commander of Awesome

  

  No not even close. Michael Phleps greater than Jesse Owens? Excuse me while I LMAO.
• Sonofanump

  1) Thorpe
  2) Owens
  3) Lewis
• Fly4Fun

  

  I can understand for making an argument for why someone else than Phelps is first. But to say Phelps being the best is laughable is completely asinine.
  
  What he has done so far is just remarkable.
  
  15 years old he made his first Olympic team. Which makes him the youngest male to make the US Olympic Swim team in 68 years. He only finished 5th in that Olympics in the 200 Fly, one of if not the toughest event in swimming. (Not part of Olympics, but just 9 months later he went on to set his first world record in that event)
  
  19 years old:
  100M Fly, Gold, Olympic Record
  200M Fly, Gold, Olympic Record
  200M IM, Gold, Olympic Record
  400M IM, Gold, World Record
  4x200M Free Relay, Gold, National Record
  4x100M Medley Relay, Gold, World Record
  200M Free, Bronze, National record (He lost to the two fastest 200M freestylers ever to that date in a event that was not his best, but he wanted to swim because he wanted the challenge)
  4x100M Free Relay, Bronze
  
  In the 2004 Summer Olympics he put himself in the top 20 All time gold medals
  
  2008 Olympics
  100M Fly, Gold, Olympic Record
  200M Fly, Gold, World Record (A disappointing world record as he swam the race BLIND, his goggles filled up with water and he finished the race by counting his strokes. This is no small feat and makes the fact that he won AND set a world record almost unbelievable. Usually when a swimmer's, even professionals, goggles fill with water the race essentially becomes trash, it's worse than swimming with no goggles. )
  200M Free, Gold, World Record (He broke Ian Thorpe's record, a record which people thought wouldn't fall for decades)
  200M IM, Gold, World Record
  400M IM, Gold, World Record
  4x100M Free Relay, Gold, World Record (Set American Record on 1st leg, in swimming on Relays the 1st leg of the relay can set an official record)
  4x200M Free Relay, Gold, World Record
  4x100M Medley Relay, Gold, World Record
  
  Some of those races were blow outs, some were the closest finishes possible. The 100M Fly he won by .01 second in probably the best will yourself victory ever seen. He looked beat but never gave up and finished hard to the wall. This event is what every single coach points to when they lecture their swimmers about finishing hard.
  
  8 Gold Medals, and 7 World Records and 1 was JUST an Olympic record (so 8 Olympic Records overall). The 100M fly which he didn't set the world record in, isn't TOO big of a deal as it was his record at the time anyways.
  
  And his career isn't finished.
  
  He has 14 Gold Medals and 2 Bronze.
  
  The next closest is 4 people tied with 9 gold each.
  
  Phelps can add to his already amazing resume this Olympics and most likely will add a few more Golds.
  
  While he doesn't have the social issues to add to his legend like Owens. What Phelps has done physically is unbelievable.
• vball10set

  Phelps and Owens...dead heat.
• Fly4Fun

  

  Also, Mia Hamm belongs somewhere in the top 30.
• Scarlet_Buckeye

  

  Jesse Owens for me.
• trackandccrunner

  Jesse Owens is #1 for me... when I saw this figured they would have Phelps #1 and wasn't surprised to see that was the case.
  
  My tope 5 would go:
  
  1)Owens
  2)Phelps
  3)Lewis
  4)Johnson
  5)Spitz
• Fly4Fun

  

  ccrunner609;1234167 wrote:GTFOH with Mia Hamm. Team sport athletes really cant be counted.

  Why? They have 2 female basketball players on there. But then again, ESPN does try to push women's basketball to help out the WNBA.
• Fab1b

  

  Would have liked to seen a wrestler:
  John Smith - Wrestler 2x gold 88/92
  Dan Gable - Wrestler (didn't allow a single point scored thru trials and Olympics) gold 72
• said_aouita

  

  Fab1b;1234254 wrote: Dan Gable - Wrestler (didn't allow a single point scored thru trials and Olympics) gold 72

  damn you. I wanted to post Dan Gable.
  
  Also to note he did this with torn cartilage in his knee. Thought I even heard he taped his good knee to fake out his competition.
• rmolin73

  

  Jesse Owens
• I Wear Pants

  said_aouita;1234295 wrote:damn you. I wanted to post Dan Gable.
  
  Also to note he did this with torn cartilage in his knee. Thought I even heard he taped his good knee to fake out his competition.

  That's because Dan Gable is a boss.
• Tiernan

  Its Jesse Owens - slam-dunk close the book - and any other name isn't even close. Hell Bob Beamon's long jump record by over 2 ft in '68 trumps any number of medals some dork wins in a swimming pool.
• Automatik

  

  Phelps, the GOAT.
• gut

  Jesse Owens and then Carl Lewis. If Spitz is right behind them with 7 for 7, I'm not sure Phelps jumps ahead going 8 for 8. And you can't really go just by medals because swimming seems to have a clear advantage over other events. I think Louganis should be higher, also.
  
  I'd tend to rank by dominance over multiple Olympics, and also setting WR's. The latter is also skewed in swimming where it's seems much easier to set WR's than other events.
• GOONx19

  

  Tiernan;1234436 wrote:Its Jesse Owens - slam-dunk close the book - and any other name isn't even close. Hell Bob Beamon's long jump record by over 2 ft in '68 trumps any number of medals some dork wins in a swimming pool.

  Big lolfail on this one, T-bag. You were just arguing that ESPN was the go-to global decision maker for the #1 rivalry in sports in the other thread. The list in the OP was done by ESPN.
  
  
  U.S. Summer Olympians
  
  
  
  
  SportsNation Rankings
  
  1.Michael Phelps
  
  2.Jesse Owens
  
  3.Carl Lewis
  
  4.Mark Spitz
  
  5.Michael Johnson
  
  6.Jim Thorpe
  
  7.Jackie Joyner-Kersee
  
  8.Wilma Rudolph
  
  9.Natalie Coughlin
  
  10.Greg Louganis
  

  
  
  

  Tiernan wrote:Like it or not, ESPN would far & wide be considered the world's foremost authority on sports. So their Top Ten List of Sports Rivalrys would be thus the correct answer. Anyone disagreeing with this is Wrong and the argument should be over.

• Laley23

  

  Reps to Goon.
• like_that

  

  Fab1b;1234254 wrote:Would have liked to seen a wrestler:
  John Smith - Wrestler 2x gold 88/92
  Dan Gable - Wrestler (didn't allow a single point scored thru trials and Olympics) gold 72

  said_aouita;1234295 wrote:damn you. I wanted to post Dan Gable.
  
  Also to note he did this with torn cartilage in his knee. Thought I even heard he taped his good knee to fake out his competition.

  I Wear Pants;1234325 wrote:That's because Dan Gable is a boss.

  +1 to both.
  
  I think Dan would have been a 2x olympic champ if it wasn't for the boycott. I remember Russ Helickson coming to one of the camps i was at and he told a story about Dan Gable after he won the gold medal. Long story short, Hellickson and Gable were roommates. Helickson wakes up early the morning after Gable won the gold, only to see Gable doing pushups. Hellickson asks Gable "What the hell are you doing, you already won the Gold?" Gables stops and responds "I want to win another Gold." He then continues to do his push ups. Beast.
  
  Also would like to add Bruce Baumgartner to the list. 4x medalist (2 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze). Being a 4x olympic wrestler let alone 4 time medalist is almost unheard of, especially for wrestlers in the United States.
• Ironman92

  

  Hard to judge IMO....Phelps with the numbers but if Jesse Owens or Carl Lewis could've done the 100, 200, 4x1, 4x2, Backwards 100, Backwards 200, medley 200 and 400.....
  
  How many swimming athletes are there compared to sprinting athletes. Swimming seems watered-down compared to track.
• se-alum

  

  Ironman92;1234907 wrote:Hard to judge IMO....Phelps with the numbers but if Jesse Owens or Carl Lewis could've done the 100, 200, 4x1, 4x2, Backwards 100, Backwards 200, medley 200 and 400.....
  
  How many swimming athletes are there compared to sprinting athletes. Swimming seems watered-down compared to track.

  I dunno, swimming is harder than running. It takes much more effort.
• Laley23

  

  Ironman92;1234907 wrote:Hard to judge IMO....Phelps with the numbers but if Jesse Owens or Carl Lewis could've done the 100, 200, 4x1, 4x2, Backwards 100, Backwards 200, medley 200 and 400.....
  
  How many swimming athletes are there compared to sprinting athletes. Swimming seems watered-down compared to track.

  I get what you mean, but on the flip side, how come more swimmers dont do what Spitz and Phelps have done. But the same token, seems a lot more runners do what Lewis and Owens did (minues the Long Jump).
  
  
  EDIT: I dont know if thats true or not (Track athletes being close to Owens and Lewis versus swimmers close to Phelps and Spitz), but it seems to be.
• Sonofanump

  se-alum;1234926 wrote:I dunno, swimming is harder than running. It takes much more effort.

  I guess it is, never thought about that before. More energy, but less impact on the body.
• Ironman92

  

  Laley23;1234929 wrote:I get what you mean, but on the flip side, how come more swimmers dont do what Spitz and Phelps have done. But the same token, seems a lot more runners do what Lewis and Owens did (minues the Long Jump).
  
  
  EDIT: I dont know if thats true or not (Track athletes being close to Owens and Lewis versus swimmers close to Phelps and Spitz), but it seems to be.

  
  Well...seems very similar in % difference in times of the places....just one is in the water and you can do twice as many events.
  
  Which sport do you think has the better athletes participating?
• Laley23

  

  Ironman92;1234973 wrote:Well...seems very similar in % difference in times of the places....just one is in the water and you can do twice as many events.
  
  Which sport do you think has the better athletes participating?

  I meant, seems more track guys are winning the 100, 200 and a relay than swimmers who are winning free/fly/IM. Does that make more sense?
  
  Didnt Bolt win the 100, 200, and the 4x1 relay last year? Michael Johnson win them all? I honestly dont know, but it seems like it.
  
  I dont recall many swimmers winning Gold in 3 different strokes (2 and the IM).