If Usain Bolt Wins the 200m As Convincingly as the 100m...

[BIG H]

Bilbo the 100 metres is just a straight sprint, the 200 metres requires endurance aswell. There is more likelyhood of the greatest 200m runner also being a 400m runner, i.e Michael Johnson, very rarely has the greatest 200m runner being a 100m runner. Only Carl Lewis, and Usain Bolt througn history have been the best at both. Linford Christie, Donovan Bailey, Maurice Green etc etc (Olympic champions at 100m) were never great 200m runners.

Hard to say whose achievement is bigger between Phelps and Bolt, but recovery time and many other factors allow a swimmer to do mumerous events. I bet you anything Bolt goes down a sthe story of this olympics more than Phelps does

[Scrap]

At the end of the day, who would you sooner watch. If the truth is told its Bolt, why because He did something that inspires.

[Kev]

At the end of the day, who would you sooner watch. If the truth is told its Bolt, why because He did something that inspires.

I think that's really a matter of subjective opinion though. Winning 8 Olympic Golds out of 8 events is every bit as inspiring imo, although Bolt did smash two world records which Phelps didn't do.

Both acheivements are incredible imo.

If you mean that running is more inspiring than swimming though I don't really agree.

They are both demanding events, one to see who is the fastest on land, the other to see who is the fastest on water. One is not more inspiring than the other except in a subjective way depending on your own preference.

If anything I think Phelps is a victim of his own success. He has become so utterly dominant that people don't regard his truimph as a big deal, but really to defeat the best in the world in 8 seperate events in one Olympic games is pretty damn inspiring stuff.

Phelps is even more dominant in his sport than Bolt is in his, at least for now.

[BIG H]

At the end of the day, who would you sooner watch. If the truth is told its Bolt, why because He did something that inspires.

Phelps is even more dominant in his sport than Bolt is in his,

Nobody got within 1 hundreth of a second of Bolt

[Scrap]

Where ever you live rich or poor you can run its an International and Interational, Swimming isnt.

[Kev]

Where ever you live rich or poor you can run its an International and Interational, Swimming isnt.

Considering the earth is 75% water I don't really understand that statement.

Sure there arn't swimming pools and proper training coaches everywhere, but are there running tracks and proper coaches everywhere either?

It's actually more a genetic thing imo, blacks due to a higher percentage muscle than whites and more fast twitch fibres in their legs make better sprinters than whites, who with slightly higher bodyfat ratios and different body composition make for better swimmers.

I'm sure socialogical factors play a role but race and genetics are the biggest determining factors imo, although in todays politically correct world you arn't supposed to say so.

[Kev]

At the end of the day, who would you sooner watch. If the truth is told its Bolt, why because He did something that inspires.

Phelps is even more dominant in his sport than Bolt is in his,

Nobody got within 1 hundreth of a second of Bolt

That was Phelp's worst result though

Nobody else came with 1 hundreth of a second of Phelps in the other 7

[amat]

Unfortunately I came upon the result early. Saw his semi final though. I love sprinting, love everything about it. I thought the 100m would be a bit anticlimactic because of Gay but it turned out better then ever.

The 200m I haven't seen the time yet just know that the WR was broken and he had the thing won at the turn. It's not all down to genetics either Bilbo, saying that is basically the equivalent of saying swimming is all down to the technology they are using with the LRZ suits and everything. Also, there are plenty of white American runners but mainly in the middle distance races like the 400 and 800 though there are also a lot in the 70m including some of the world's best right there in Britain like Craig Pickering.

Bolt isn't a case of genetics. So many have said him being 6'5 is an advantage and even one guy I read who said that Bolt is the future of sprinting and soon all our sprinters will be massively tall. It's just not true though, it's just the case of Bolt being a freak.

I'll do my best to explain some of this. Basically, the key to running is the point of impact. The point of impact is where your lead foot hits the ground in front of you. Now for about 99.9999% of us, it would be better to be shorter, stronger and more explosive because then you don't have to much catching up to do with your lead foot, it never gets to far in front of you and you can explode and get greater turnover, the time it takes to make 1 stride, then a long legged runner. You want to spend as little time behind your lead foot as possible until the next foot hits the ground. That's why shorter guys have the advantage because most of their stride is spent exploding forward off that foot instead of behind it.

What makes Bolt such a freak of nature is just his speed, and not just his footspeed but how fast he catches up to that foot. For a taller runner, more of their time is spent behind that point of impact because it just naturally takes them longer to catch up, Bolt is not only catching up to the point of impact faster then other tall sprinters, he's doing faster then any of the more traditionally built ones either. I can't begin to explain how unprecedented this is. He's getting a greater turnover, thus a greater speed, with a 6'5 body then the guys who are 5'11 and instead of taking 45-47 strides to complete the 100, he's doing it in 40. It's not unheard of for someone of his size to complete 100m in 40 strides, but usually that difference is made up by competitors with greater turnover speed. Bolt is 1 upping them in that department.

There might not ever be another athlete quite like Bolt, what he's doing doesn't just defy the track but it defies all human logic. I don't care if he's drinking THG by the drum (he's never tested for anything and I really don't think he will, guys with his build usually steer clear of that stuff) what he's doing is absolutely off the charts. That's what I mean by more dominant, not decorated but going into these games, it was conceivable that Phelps would win 8. Not expected, but Spitz won 7 so it's not to far fetched. Now I don't know the science of swimming, I know he has an unconventional freestyle stroke and that's about it, but Bolt is defying science and what it says is possible.

Bolt, imo, is the baddest man on the planet right now. For the past few years I've thought of Lebron James as the most electrifying athlete in the world, I'm going to have to put Bolt in that spot now. And like James, he can still improve. His form out of the blocks is pretty much all wrong, he doesn't have great reaction time and I've heard it said that he has to high of a knee lift but I wouldn't mess with his stride for anything. Ridiculous what he's doing, he's competing against himself right now.

[CutMeMick]

Bolt was crazy fast man...

But still I think Phelps accomplishments are far and beyond anyone has ever done at the Olympics.

[Scrap]

Theres a reason why the Athletic Stadium is by far the Biggest.

[X]

The World Record for the 200 metre sprint was broken twice in the same day. First by Usain Bolt, then by twenty odd Spanish plane passengers.

[CutMeMick]

Theres a reason why the Athletic Stadium is by far the Biggest.

Because pools are far smaller then tracks.

[JT Rock]

I agree, over all Bolt is more remarkable because of the science of his build.. He is like a 5 ft tall guy dunking over Shaquile O Neal it just dosent seem humanly possible and to do so in such a dominating fashion is mind boggling... The guy is a juggernaut, and the amazing thing about his 100m time is that its not the event he trains in or specialized in... It was no suprise that Phelps would do what he did, but Bolt is an absolute phenom... If he didnt showboat at the 70m mark he would have shattered the record even more...

We use the word OWN very loosely but Bolt owned the track he smoked them lie Tua did to Ruiz

[CutMeMick]

Well if were going with Bolts height...

Phelps suffers from ADD and as a child he was in special needs classes her mother was told by teachers that he wouldn't accomplish much in life...

8 out of 8 medals gold and 14 overall.

I'm willing to bet everything I own that no one will ever even come close to that.

[JT Rock]

I'm not disputing the greatness of Michael Phelps, I'm lauding the sheer amazement of Bolt.. To many observers it was a forgone conclusion that Phelps would accompolish what he did, were Bolt took an opportunity to shine on the biggest stage and snatch an amazing human speed record defying science and nature while doing so... Bolt had already broken the record months earlier but it was also touted as a possible fluke of sorts, were as he literally smoked the field breaking a timeless and rich in tradition record of the most earliest and basic form of Competion with a leg race..