dougthonus wrote:
Get back to me when Bolt wins the gold in:
100m
200m
400m
4x100 relay
4x200 relay
4x400 relay
110 hurdles
400 hurdles
long jump
triple jump
So the 100m 200m 400m 4x100 4x200 and 4x400 are so different that they aren't considered the same sport.
Yet the 100m butterfly and 400m individual medley in swimming ARE close enough to be considered the same sport?
Doug, sorry to say,
but your argument is fundamentally flawed. The fact is is that its INFINTITELY easier to dominate in swimming than it is in any other sport in the olympics. Also its INFINITELY easier to learn different styles of swimming and win in all of them than it is for a track athlete to win in entirely different disciplines.
Just look at the history of olympics. Can you find me many track athletes that compete in long jump, triple jump, hurdles and then go on to compete in 100m, 200m, 400m? I doubt you can, because its hard to master so many track disciplines, which is why no one has done it before successfully.
Now look at the history of swimmers in the olympics. At every single olympics you will
ALWAYS find a hand full of elite swimmers that dominate and win the lions share of the medals. And that's because its MUCH easier to learn all the styles of swimming and to dominate in them. Again history tells you this is true as there's never been a track athlete that has dominated a bunch of disciplines the way you're talking about because its near impossible.
The closest thing to an all around track athlete is a decathlete and while they're good at a number of track events, they are the best at none of them. The best times, throws, jumps etc that a decathlete can do is nowhere near the what an athlete who specializes in each of those events can do. That should tell you how hard it is to do what you're posturing and why your argument doesn't make sense, because what you're proposing isn't humanly possible.
On the otherhand, elite swimmers have been dominating each olympics time after time. Doesn't this tell you something? IE its easier to learn and dominate in swimming than it is on track and field? So while what Phelps has accomplished is great, its not something that hasn't been done at almost every single olympics previously, but just not quite on a grand scale.
