Gymnast claims she is still greatest Olympian
Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all-time Tuesday night, earning his 18th and 19th medals and breaking the record previously held by Ukrainian gymnast Larisa Latynina. While Phelps is considered by many the greatest Olympian ever, don't count Latynina, who was a member of the Soviet Union's team, among them. She still thinks she's the best ever.
Latynina had the following to say in an interview with Yahoo! Sports:
"Do I think I am still the greatest Olympian? Why yes, but that is my opinion. Why do I think this? Well I did not only compete in three Olympic Games and won many medals, but the Soviet Union team had great success when I was the coach."
Latynina won nine golds and 18 total medals in her three Olympics spanning from 1956-64. She also coached the Soviet Union to 10 gold medals in the 1970s.
On Tuesday night Phelps earned a silver in the 200-meter butterfly, before anchoring the United States' gold-medal 4x200-meter relay effort.
Phelps now has 15 gold medals, two silvers and two bronzes. But lest you think Latynina was just being bitter about losing her record, she had the following to say about the new record holder: "I have met him and I liked him. He was a nice person and, of course, he is a great swimmer. It is special what he has done."
Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images
Bookmark Medal Detector for more on the Olympics from Rumors and Rants and other Yardbarker bloggers
Recently on Medal Detector
More Olympics Coverage from the Yardbarker Network
-
And the Russians are still dumb. Her records have been beaten, SEVERELY. She thinks because she was a coach that counts? They are such a narcissistic people sometimes.
-
What really cracks me up is the Russians, Cubans and North Koreans are the only ones that argue with facts and statistics. The rest of the world understands. With them, there is always some BS excuse. Do they have any shame?
-
These are communist nations. Socialists do this as well. Even our politicians on the left, will lie to your face until you prove them wrong. Then, they just dispell what you proved, they discount what you say, then the newspapers back them up and don't ever report that they lied or that it has been proven that they lied. Tis the way of socialism. Oh yeah and them I am stupid and everybody that doesn't agree with the liers is stupid.
-
lol. loser.
-
She was great when there was no degree of difficulty. The hardest thing then was a cherry drop from the unevens. In her era, she was great. This is Phelps era. 20 years from now it will be the era of someone. Enough already.
-
it was just in her mind noone would pass her in medal count,hes beat her in all colors of medals,and coaching is another profession completly,you can not mix the two.shes just a hard headed women and like most doesn:t like the short end of the stick,nothing lasts foever!!!!sweetie ,get alife ,phelps is the recordholder now get use to it its not gonna change for you or your country!!!!!!
-
Phelps is a fricking pot head...fail...he would be all gold if he could stay off of the drugs.
-
Could you be any more of an idiot??? Where are the failed drug tests? All you are going on is one photo the media spread all over the country and Phelps then apologized for his stupidity. He knew he made a mistake and then did something about it. Why don't you apologize for your stupidity and get a life.
-
Sorry Mom. He might not be a pothead, but he's been pictured doing it. Google Search him and bong for some images.
-
Who the heck CARES?!?!? He could be addicted to heroin, for all it matters for his records. Smoking pot three YEARS before competition has got nothing to do with his performance today.
-
OK, Phelps is the best as numbers show. Yes, he has been known to smoke. I remember a picture on the from cover of The State Newspaper at a dorm party at the University of South Carolina with a Bong to his lips. Do I care, not so much. Maybe not a "pothead", but he's tried it.
-
... now he can smoke da bong as much as he wants too!
-
I just watched some Larissa Latynina videos on youtube. What a joke! She thinks those routines would even earn her a medal these days? Oh please...
-
She won her medals during a time when the opposition was pitiful. Nobody but the Soviets took women's gymnastics seriously back then - her competition was just club gymnasts. The routines she won with were closer to ballet than athleticism. She would have killed herself trying to do the moves that even the also-rans do today. And, of course, the scoring was as nationally-biased as ice skating is today. And her coaching doesn't count for diddly-squat in this comparison.
Phelps' competition, on the other hand, is brutal. Every country has superior swimmers at the same level of athleticism, and the winners win with extra effort on the day of the meet. Not because most of the competition has trouble with the dog paddle. They're putting up times that swimmers from the Fifties would have trouble matching at HALF the distance. -
swimming is for puzies
-
It's funny that everyone is so critical of her opinion and overgeneralizing the Soviet Union and other countries. And she said, "yes, but that is my opinion." I don't agree with her assessment either, because things are more competitive now-a-days just like Wilt Chamberlain scoring 100 points in one game, that would never happen these days. But the fact of the matter remains, for her time, she was and still is the best female Olympian.
-
It's not an accurate for a slew of reasons. First, an "Olympian" is an athlete...not a program director or coach. Next, as an athlete, take a moment to watch clips of Ms. Latynina performing...the skills of the time had not yet developed. Her routines do not nearly measure to the exponential increases in skill demonstrated by Nadia in the 70's. Regardless, how is an Olympian measured? By medals.
