Phelps among greatest Olympians

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BEIJING -- If Michael Phelps goes on to win eight gold medals here, there is little question he will be considered the greatest Olympian. Including the six he won four years ago in Athens, he would have 14 golds, five more than any other athlete in history.

He already is among the greatest after winning his ninth gold Tuesday--in the 200-meter freestyle--and his 11th medal overall.

The only others who have won nine golds are Paavo Nurmi, Larissa Latynina, Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis.

In case you want to know more about them:

Nurmi--One of the Flying Finns, he won 12 medals in three Olympics, 1920, 1924 and 1928. He won individual medals in the 1,500, 5,000, 10,000 and cross country and dreamed of adding the marathon in 1932. But the Swedes, bitter rivals of the Finns in distance running in those days, turned him in for taking too much expense money on a trip. That violated amateurism rules, disqualifying him from competing in Los Angeles. He still went, stayed in the village and hoped for a reprieve from officials that never came.

Latynina--The Ukrainian gymnast, competing for the Soviet Union, won 18 medals, the most of anyone, in three Olympics, 1956, ’60 and ’64. Phelps can finish here with no more than 16. Latynina was the all-around champion in ’56 and ’60. Most remarkable, however, was her performance in the ’58 world championships, when she won five gold medals while pregnant. Phelps is never going to be able to duplicate that.

Spitz--He predicts Phelps will break his record of seven gold medals in a single Games (1972), but adds that he might also have won eight if the 50-freestyle had been an Olympic event then. It’s hard to argue. He swam in seven events in ‘72, four individually, and was part of seven world records. He swam in two gold-medal relays in ’68 and ended his career at 22, one year younger than Phelps is now, with 11 overall medals. You have to wonder what he might have done if he had come back for ’76. He did try for ’92 at 41, and though he swam faster than he did two years earlier in some events, he couldn’t meet the current Olympic qualifying standards.

Lewis--The International Olympic Committee named him the Sportsman of the Century and Sports Illustrated named him the Olympian of the Century. He won four gold medals in 1984 in Los Angeles, but, for me, his greatest achievement, one that defined his competitiveness, came 12 years later in Atlanta. He wasn’t considered a medal favorite in the long jump but won the gold medal. He won two gold medals in ‘88, one after Ben Johnson was disqualified for failing a drug test, and two in ’92. He could have won another in ‘88, but the U.S. sprint relay team, heavily favored, fumbled a hand-off in the prelims and didn’t advance to the final. He finished his career with 10 overall medals.

After the jump, I would rank them...

1. Nurmi: What a range, 1,500 meters to 10,000.

2. Lewis: There was incredible pressure on him in Los Angeles in ’84.

3. Latynina: Think about it, 18 medals.

4. Phelps: Nine gold medals and counting. He will be No. 1 before he leaves Beijing.

5. Spitz: He’s still No. 1 for best most amazing single Olympics. He shouldn’t have retired so young.

--Randy Harvey

photo of Michael Phelps by Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times, photo of Paavo Nurmi: public domain