I think Phelps will probably be there for another Olympics at least. The debate on who is the greatest will always be there - let me give you one big reason he can be considered the greatest Olympian 1. No of golds in multiple events in a short timeframe. Each swimming stroke and distance is now a specialist art with swimmers focusing exclusively on one event (100 M Butterfly ex)- the range of events shows Phelps swimming prowess. The main point is the ability to do so many races and heats in a short time. His specialist opponents are usually much better rested between events than he is (2 days vs sometimes 40 mins). He still blows them out of the water. All his peers, opponents etc admit that he is a once in a century athlete. Its easy for folks to say that he wins just because he has more events - its a very difficult and incredible feat to accomplish. That's why Carl Lewis's four golds in a single Olympics is considered a great feat.
