At this moment, in the pool at Athens, Michael Phelps collected two more gold medals and Ian Thorpe barely got into the finals for the 100 Freestyle. So that got me to thinking about the debate over who is better. Given the results, I believe that this is still up in the air.
There have been three events where Thorpe and Phelps went head to head, either in relays or individual events. In both relay events, Phelps and the United States have come out on top over the wallabys, while in the 200m free, Thorpe was the winner. Some might argue that the 200 free showed that Thorpe is better. However, I don't think that can be said conculsively. The Ozzies have historically been strong in all three events that Phelps and Thorpe have competed in. Yes, the Americans owned the 4x100 before the Oz won it in Sydney, while Australia has owned the 4x200 and of course Ian owned the world record in the 200 free. So Phelps was basically fighting the Thorpedo on his favorite battlegrounds. Ian Thorpe was not in the 400 IM and was a no show in the 200 fly, two of Phelps' strong suits. The only time Thorpe ventures into Phelpsland is the Medley relay.
For the most part, the paths of both these athletes take different routes, converging once in a while. They are both amazing swimmers in their disciplines and between them, own many world records. I think it's a good thing that there is a lot of room for debate. It gets people talking about the sport, if only every four years and well, it beats talking about sterroids. I now await the flames of the ozzies like I await a rabid pack of Dingos.