The Sports Lowdown For All Your News and OpinionsPersonality:
This is a category that would suit Bolt much more than Phelps. The Jamaican has taken showmanship to a whole new level with his bravado, enigmatic persona and sheer confidence. There is an audacity about Bolt that is engaging to the public eye, and he has welcomed the metaphor of him being the saviour of athletics; the beacon of hope in a dark sport plagued by drug cheats.
As the entire Olympic stadium swooned and booed at arch nemesis Justin Gatlin, twice sentenced drug cheat, Bolt stepped out on to the track to a cacophony of cheers and jubilant celebration and he stood lapping up the adoration, soaking up the moment before defending his 100m title for the third consecutive Olympics.
“I am the greatest” he declared shortly afterwards in an interview with the BBC, and as far as track sprinting is confirmed, he undoubtedly is. But it is irrelevant about whether he is or isn’t the greatest. For many, Bolt resembles more than just speed; for many he is the light in a dark world and has become a national hero in Jamaica. It is this ability of his to empathise with the people that draws undoubted comparisons to other sporting legends such as Ayrton Senna and Muhammad Ali, and there is something fascinatingly beautiful about that.
Phelps, too, is far from a one dimensional character. Once criticised as lacking emotion (**cough, cough Andy Murray) Phelps really showed his human side in Rio, and the tears in his eyes on the podium encapsulate the way he has grown as a person. In Beijing, he was machine like; any emotion locked deep away in the confines of his inner being, and later recycled for added motivation. Showing emotion was considered a weakness for him, it was all about winning. No distractions. No gimmes. Just winning. And boy did he do that!
But the problem was he lost a little bit of the public interaction. He struggled to really empathise with them in a way Bolt did. Maybe it was driven by his hatred of losing, but until Rio Phelps always kept his human side hidden from the public eye.
That all changed this year though. Phelps was happier than he had ever been before, he had his mother (as always!), wife and son in the stands, and the tears in his eyes were those of joy, relief and recognition. Phelps had finally embraced his status as flag-bearer for swimming, and come to terms that this was the end for him, but this time, as he put it, on his terms. When beaten by 21 year old Joseph Schooling in his signature event, as he won joint-silver with Chad Le Clos and Lazslo Cseh, he gracefully accepted defeat and congratulated the gold medallist.
It was the sign of a man who was completely comfortable with his efforts, and such a reaction would not have been seen in previous games, and it shows his maturing as a man.
Therefore, whilst he does not have the bravado and showmanship of Bolt, the sight of Phelps climbing up to the stands to lovingly embrace his wife and child, was equally endearing and showed the side to his personality that had not been seen before.
Verdict: Bolt perhaps more suited as a poster-boy, but both equally personable and lovable, with the personality that entertains the Olympic legacy. Tie.
