# Is Michael Phelps the Greatest Olympian so far?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-phelps-the-greatest-olympian-so-far/633837>\
**Category:** The Game Room\
**Created:** [September 6, 2012, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-phelps-the-greatest-olympian-so-far/633837 "2012-09-06T09:38:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![MaxTheVool](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9fc29f/32.png) [@MaxTheVool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaxTheVool)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 4:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-phelps-the-greatest-olympian-so-far/633837/21 "2012-09-10T04:41:12Z")

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(a) this is obviously a totally unanswerable question, in any objective sense  
(b) but the fact that someone CAN win a bunch of medals in swimming (which is clearly true, and clearly not possible in at least some other events… say beach volleyball), is tempered by the fact that people very rarely DO win a bunch of medals in swimming.

It’s also pretty insane the number of Phelps’ medals that are golds.

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**Author:** ![sisu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@sisu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sisu)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 5:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-phelps-the-greatest-olympian-so-far/633837/22 "2012-09-10T05:25:16Z")

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meh, I would think that longevity at the top of your sport would be a good measure of the “greatest” but as always these things are subjective.

So I look at someone like Andrew Gaze, 5 time Olympian in basketball as a good model, now there are better players [90% of Americans] but to be chosen to play at the highest level for 20 years is a pretty damn good achievement.

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**Author:** ![amanset](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/8dc957/32.png) [@amanset](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amanset)\
**Post date:** [September 10, 2012, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-michael-phelps-the-greatest-olympian-so-far/633837/23 "2012-09-10T11:06:38Z")

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> [@Svejk\_1](#):
>
> (one of they guys who lit the flame for London 2012 won 5 golds in a row over the course of 16 yrs, IIRC)

That’ll be Steve Redgrave.

> **[Steve Redgrave](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Redgrave)**
>
> Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave (born 23 March 1962) is a British retired rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000. He has also won three Commonwealth Games gold medals and nine World Rowing Championships golds. He is the most successful male rower in Olympic history, and the only man to have won gold medals at five Olympic Games in an endurance sport.
> Redgrave is regarded as one of Britain's greatest-ever Olympians. Celebrated as the most decorated and succes...

> [@](#):
>
> Sir Steven Geoffrey Redgrave, CBE, DL (born on 23 March 1962) is a retired British rower who won gold medals at five consecutive Olympic Games from 1984 to 2000

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