I was lucky enough to have seen Mark Spitz win his seven gold medals in Munich in 1972 and my father remarked at the time that the feat would never be equalled. He was wrong. Not only has Michael Phelps equalled Spitz’s effort, he has surpassed it with an unprecedented EIGHT gold medals.

There simply aren’t enough superlatives to throw at this achievement. Mere words seem insufficient for the task; it requires grand hand gestures and head shaking which, unfortunately, don’t translate well to paper. For now, let’s just say it was a pretty good effort.

Not satisfied with the sheer brilliance of this performance, there is now a ridiculous and unnecessary debate going on in the USA. It has to do with whether Phelps or Carl Lewis is the greatest athlete ever.

Putting aside the fact that comparing swimmers to track and field athletes is like comparing apples with golf-carts, it is a typically parochial American attitude that has those two as the only possible contenders.

Make no mistake, Phelps is a superstar – a phenomenon the likes of which we may never see again. He is a freak; he is the perfect swimming machine and inspires awe in friends and foe alike.

Carl Lewis is also a sporting legend but, then again, he also tested positive to stimulants three times in the lead up to the 1988 Olympics. The US Olympic Committee determined the use was “inadvertent” three times; WADA boss, Dick Pound, was nowhere near as understanding.

But we should also acknowledge that there are more opportunities to win medals in swimming. On the track, there is only one way to run 100 metres; in the pool there are four (swim that is – not run). If there was a 100 metres running backwards, maybe Lewis would have more medals. Again, this is not taking anything away from Phelps; to be the best in two strokes over 100 and 200 metres is a staggering performance.  Phelps also has three relay opportunities to boost his medal tally, Lewis had one.

But, even if we restrict this comparison to the Olympics, why should the battle be just between Lewis and Phelps? Yes, Lewis competed and won gold at four Olympics – which on itself is a remarkable effort – but Finland’s Paavo Nurmi won more medals over three Olympics (including five gold at Paris in 1924). Who is better? Who the hell knows and can they even be compared?

What about other Olympic athletes? Rower Steve Redgrave won gold at five consecutive Olympics. Gymnast Larissa Latynina won 18 medals, including nine gold, over three Olympics. Daley Thompson was Olympic decathlon champion at consecutive games. Few sports could claim to be more demanding than the decathlon.

Even more broadly, what is to say that an Olympic athlete is better than someone from a different sport? Is it possible to compare Lewis or Phelps to Michael Jordan, for example? Jordan’s list of achievements is incomparable (yes, he has two Olympic gold medals – but nobody really thinks of him as an Olympian).

What about Muhammad Ali or Lance Armstrong? The list is endless It is a much better idea to just accept Phelps’ achievement for what it is, the best individual performance ever seen at the Olympics, and that he is the greatest swimmer the world has ever seen.

He has earned his place amongst the legends of the sporting world, but to declare him – or anyone else – as the greatest athlete ever is just silly. Not that it has ever stopped anyone.