who are not named Michael Phelps or Mark Spitz…
Thorpe?
Biondi?
Salnikov?
Yang?
Popov?
To me, this is a tough one. I was always a huge fan of Biondi’s.
Lochte is #3 all time and it isn’t close.
Tough one?
Weissmuller…Did any of those other guys play Tarazan?
Kabam!
Johnny Weissmuller, ahead of Spitz and Lochte, pretty close to Phelps in my book.
Different era for sure, but unbeaten in 10 years of competitive swimming? That’s a tough one to beat.
I love Lochte, I really do…
I honestly don’t know if I can call him as dominant in his events as Thorpe. He is more versatile than Thorpe was, I might even say that he’s as versatile as Phelps (better backstroke). But I don’t know if he’s as dominant as Thorpe.
After all, Ye Shiwen did outsplit him on the last 50 of the 400IM in London 
Tough one?
Weissmuller…Did any of those other guys play Tarazan?
Kabam!
end thread/
Mike Burton
.
Another vote for Weissmuller. I was at the International Hall of Fame when he and Dawn Fraser from Australia were inducted…both monsters!
Not to hijack thread, but did you see Doc Councilman died? Talk about an amazing coach…https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/news/flash-a-giant-has-fallen-doc-counsilman-dies/
“At one time or another, his swimmers set world records in every single men’s event, a record unequaled by any other team.”
Johnny Weissmuller, ahead of Spitz and Lochte, pretty close to Phelps in my book.
Different era for sure, but unbeaten in 10 years of competitive swimming? That’s a tough one to beat.
And he was on the H2Opolo team that took the bronze in the ‘28’ Olympics.
Another vote for Weissmuller. I was at the International Hall of Fame when he and Dawn Fraser from Australia were inducted…both monsters!
Not to hijack thread, but did you see Doc Councilman died? Talk about an amazing coach…https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/...doc-counsilman-dies/
“At one time or another, his swimmers set world records in every single men’s event, a record unequaled by any other team.”
Yes, I did see that he died… in 2004.
Agreed that he was probably the greatest coach of all time, possibly in any sport.
Weissmuller is probably the winner, but I wouldn’t write off Popov. Regular 50-100 sweeps from 1992 to 2003. His world records stood for a very long time. Plus he came back from a stabbing, à la Lemond.
My apologies! I just saw it linked somewhere, so assumed incorrectly that it had just happened.
Nice seeing more swim talk.
Another vote for Weissmuller. I was at the International Hall of Fame when he and Dawn Fraser from Australia were inducted…both monsters!
Not to hijack thread, but did you see Doc Councilman died? Talk about an amazing coach…https://www.swimmingworldmagazine.com/...doc-counsilman-dies/
“At one time or another, his swimmers set world records in every single men’s event, a record unequaled by any other team.”
Yes, I did see that he died… in 2004.
Agreed that he was probably the greatest coach of all time, possibly in any sport.
Tough one?
Weissmuller…Did any of those other guys play Tarazan?
Kabam!
end thread/
LOL.
Weismuller without a doubt, over both Phelps & Spitz IMHO.
Interesting that we regularly do drills at masters named after two of the swimmers mentioned in the thread: “Tarzans” and “Lochtes” (overkicking drills).
Mark
Eric Moussambani
.
If you are looking for someone who dominated an event, I would throw Mike Barrowman in there. 200m Breaststroke World Record holder from 1989-2002. Pioneer of modern day ‘wave’ breaststroke and the list goes on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mike_Barrowman
I’d put Barrowman on the short list, for sure.
He was a little guy too.
Phelps is as good a freestyler as Thorpe, a better flyer than Gross and a better IMer than Dolan. The only reason he isn’t the greatest backstroker of all time is because he could fit it in the schedule. Phelps changed swimming.
Eric Moussambani
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If Thorpe doesn’t get AIDS (rumor) there’s no way Phelp’s wins any free event 200M and above.
Phelps is as good a freestyler as Thorpe, a better flyer than Gross and a better IMer than Dolan. The only reason he isn’t the greatest backstroker of all time is because he could fit it in the schedule. Phelps changed swimming.
Tracy Caulkins…