Who was better in his respective sport: Usain Bolt or Michael Phelps

They were both an entire level above their competition, not sure there is a way to compare who was better.
 
Bolt.

I believe Bolt holds the world record in all 3 events he competed in.

Michael Phelps competes in more events, but he isn't the GOAT in at least half of them.
 
Katsumi Yamada said:
Bolt.

I believe Bolt holds the world record in all 3 events he competed in.

Michael Phelps competes in more events, but he isn't the GOAT in at least half of them.
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Most impressively, Phelps owns the world records in the 400M Individual Medley Relay and 100M/200M Butterflys. The US swim team with Phelps holds the World Record in all three relay events.

He also has the 2nd & 3rd best times in the 200M Freestyle.

It's so rare for swimmers to be dominant in different swim styles. I think that alone puts Phelps over Usain Bolt.

However, it's pretty fucking awesome to be the fastest person on the planet...
 
Bolt.
Not considering drugs which both are probably on, bolt only gets so few events and has to be great at them, and phelps med condition actually improves his ability oddly whereas normally it would impede.
 
Moretti said:
Bolt is a juicer and so is his country
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the-fastest-100m-times-ever-with-names-of-people-caught-doping-crossed-out.png

these are the fastest times in 100m history, with all the cheaters crossed off. Who does that leave?

And if you think the Jamaican doping program is more advanced than USA's lol. Not to mention other Jamaican sprinters have been caught. So why hasnt Usain?
 
bad seed said:
the-fastest-100m-times-ever-with-names-of-people-caught-doping-crossed-out.png

these are the fastest times in 100m history, with all the cheaters crossed off. Who does that leave?

And if you think the Jamaican doping program is more advanced than USA's lol. Not to mention other Jamaican sprinters have been caught. So why hasnt Usain?
Click to expand...

Didn't Bolt get a Relay stripped because his teammate tested positive?

And it sure looks like Powell from Jamaica is crossed off on that graphic.

Anyway, call me old fashioned, but I'll assume he's clean until proven otherwise. I'm guessing he's been tested extensively.
 
Most people in the world can run compared to people who can swim. So saying that, I think Bolt's accomplishments is more impressive.
 
I'll go with Bolt purely because his 100m record will be harder to beat than any Phelps record.
 
Bolt is the only answer. Not even a debate.

Everyone runs around the world. Everyone doesnt have access to swim, perfect pool conditions, etc.
 
I'd say they're about equal. Bolt was dominant in a single event that pulls from a larger talent pool than swimming. Phelps was dominant in several events. I don't know how someone could be more dominant at what they do, than either of those two.
 
Did anybody even bother watching the events these guys competed in? Bolt was absolutely crushing and embarrassing his competition, whereas phelps was winning by millimeters and hundreths of a second in many of his events.

On top of that, phelps was never the fastest swimmer, refusing to compete in either the 50m freestyle or the 100m freestyle, which is sort of the swimming equivalent to the 100m and 200m sprint.

The reason phelps was able to rack up the many medals that he did is because he was the most diverse/versatile swimmer with insane cardio/endurance; his butterfly was among the best in the world, while his breaststroke and backstroke were just a tiny bit below that (but still great) so he could dominate the medley races.

Sprinting doesn’t have as many convoluted events, it’s just running as fast as you can over the designated distance, and bolt did that better than anyone ever.
 
Kirin said:
Did anybody even bother watching the events these guys competed in? Bolt was absolutely crushing and embarrassing his competition, whereas phelps was winning by millimeters and hundreths of a second in many of his events.

On top of that, phelps was never the fastest swimmer, refusing to compete in either the 50m freestyle or the 100m freestyle, which is sort of the swimming equivalent to the 100m and 200m sprint.

The reason phelps was able to rack up the many medals that he did is because he was the most diverse/versatile swimmer with insane cardio/endurance; his butterfly was among the best in the world, while his breaststroke and backstroke were just a tiny bit below that (but still great) so he could dominate the medley races.

Sprinting doesn’t have as many convoluted events, it’s just running as fast as you can over the designated distance, and bolt did that better than anyone ever.
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Awesome point
 
surgeyou1 said:
Everyone runs. Not everyone swims. The sheer amount of competition that Bolt has destroyed is staggering.
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This. And Bolt would have just as many medals as Phelps if they made 110m 120m 130m 140m 150m etc. It's not a fair comparison when swimming has a million medals
 
Phelps cause he's fuckin' American!!!!

But Bolt is cooler...
 
bad seed said:
the-fastest-100m-times-ever-with-names-of-people-caught-doping-crossed-out.png

these are the fastest times in 100m history, with all the cheaters crossed off. Who does that leave?

And if you think the Jamaican doping program is more advanced than USA's lol. Not to mention other Jamaican sprinters have been caught. So why hasnt Usain?
Click to expand...
Exactly. Why hasn't he been caught?
 
Bolts first Olympic win is the most exciting thing I think I had ever seen in sports. It’s only been recently eclipsed by the patriots coming back against the falcons.
 
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