The WGOM

Last night, Michael Phelps won his 10th and 11th gold medals at the Olympics, the most all-time. We talked a little about this yesterday, but I wanted to extend the conversation and do some polling. For my money, Carl Lewis remains the greatest Olympic champion of all time and personally, I'd much rather have his collection of nine gold medals than whatever Phelps's total ends up after these games.

Why? Because Lewis won some of the most glamorous gold medals one can win. He showed the ability to win a large number of medals at one Games and sustain his brilliance over the long haul.

Prior to Lewis, two of the biggest names in Olympic Track and Field history were Jesse Owens and Al Oerter. Owens won four Olympic gold medals in Berlin in 1936: the 100, 200, 4X100, and the long jump. The cultural significance was clear -- here was a black man winning four gold medals in front of Adolf Hitler, the ultimate White Supremacist (although sadly, there were plenty of those in Owens's homeland as well). Oerter is certainly less well known, but he achieved the stunning feat of winning the discus in four consecutive Olympics (1956, '60, '64 and '68). In each of those Games, he set an Olympic record.

Lewis basically did what both of these men did. At the 1984 Olympic Games, Lewis won the same four events that Owens won, setting an Olympic record in the 200 and a world record in the 4X100. At the 1988 Olympic Games, he won the 100 in world record time (although the later disqualified Ben Johnson hit the tape first) and the long jump, grabbing silver in the 200, while his relay team was disqualified because of a bad handoff.

In 1992, Lewis again won two gold medals in the long jump and the 4X100 meters, run in world record time, a record that still stands. In 1996, Lewis qualified for the long jump for fifth time (he was unable to go to the Olympics in 1980 due to the American boycott). He shocked the world by winning the gold medal, his fourth in the long jump at the age of 35 (Oerter was 32 when he won his fourth gold). Lewis has been somewhat of an unsympathetic figure, but his stunning achievements should not be forgotten. Indeed, Sports Illustrated named him Olympic Athlete of the Century and the International Olympic Committee named him Sportsman of the Century.

What Phelps has done is great, remarkable. But, there so many more swimming events and thus, opportunities to win gold. World records fall like dominoes in the sport. I personally watched about five or six swimmers break the existing world records in swimming just last night. In fact, one relay race in these Olympics saw five teams break the existing world record. Twice last night, a world record was set in preliminaries in the same event. Track and field world records are much harder to attain.

I also reject the idea that all Olympic gold medals are created equal. Is a trapshooting gold medal or a rhythmic gymnastics gold medal as impressive as winning the Decathalon? Didn't think so. The medals that Lewis won aren't just medals, they are some of the most glamorous medals an athlete can win at the games. I don't care if Phelps wins 8 at these games. He's not, in my opinion, in the same class as the incredible Carl Lewis and that's taking nothing away from Phelps. He's great. If he's still winning gold medals when he's 35 years old, then maybe we can talk. But for now, Lewis is still the greatest Olympic champion, ever, in my book.

Be sure to weigh in with your opinion and cast your vote.