Great topic - I was actually wondering the same thing myself earlier in the week.
I am no Phelps fan- he's dumb as a bag of nails and seems to be groping frantically for the last few seconds of his 15 minutes of fame. But Man, 27 medals? 22 gold? Can't see anyone touching that for a long time.I was never a competitive swimmer but to a degree, if you are good at one event, you are decent in all of them. But to excel and dominate in multiple events over multiple distances, and to rise to the occasion at the finals, is pretty amazing.
In Bolt's case - I am a big fan - perhaps not as much of a leap from 100 to 200. Most top sprinters tend to double at both distances as there isn't much difference in ability. Maybe the biggest accomplishment of his triple triple was the relays where he works with a different team each time against the top powerhouse nations in the world. Some many things can go wrong in a relay that have nothing to do that one particular athlete.
With a sigh, I would have to give the nod to Phelps.
Bolt started running 100m in 2007. Up until then he ran only 200m and 400m. And he doesn't just beat people. Me makes them run for 2nd place. He waltzes across finish lines. It's like he doesn't even try when he blows the competition away. This is something the nuanced observer takes into account.
No person has done what he has done OLYs after OLYs in Track. It is unprecedented and most likely will never repeated...and I'm excluding relays from this. Gold medal tally mean very little in the argument. What are they going to do? Do 60m races, 200m straight, 150m sprints? 100m split in 2, where you touch the wall at 50m, and run back to the start? The barefoot 100m? The barefoot 200m? The barefoot 150m? How about 250m race? Or even 300m? Maybe they could implement these somehow since they are willing to make trampoline and Olympic sport....event.
One thing most haven't touched upon yet is that there is FAR FAR FAR greater competition in sprinting. There are way more competitors worldwide.
Bolt carried T&F on his back. Read any of the articles on this matter and how Rogge was told shoo and go away when tried to rebuke Bolt's showmanship.
Here in Europe all they are talking about is Bolt. I heard it's pretty much the same in Africa, Asia and South America. Phelps must be a north American thing. Then again, even the Americans are grudgingly giving massive props and still trying to get him over there to come and talk to them. Heard some NFL team is extending and offer. Madness because Bolt is 30 and they expect him to learn the other finer points of American football.
At each of the last two Olympics, it is Bolt that people go there to chant...and I'm not talking about Jamaicans. Bolt has transcended his sport more than any other Olympian since Ali, and I guess Ali did it as a professional boxer.
Phelps will be an American icon. Bolt a Global one. Think Gretzky vs an Ali or a Jordan.