One can ask the question that if Mark Spitz was 23 today, with the same access to modern swim techniques, methods, gear (I mean, a cap and goggles probably would give him an extra second at least with that crazy hair-doo and stache!!).
It's not really meaningful to compare over a 35-year timeframe, but this is interesting: If Spitz took 1 second off his 200 FREE WR from 1972, his time would be .3 faster than MP's current FLY WR, rather than .7 slower.
Spitz 1972:
200 Free WR: 1:52.78
200 Fly WR: 2:00.70
Phelps Today:
200 Free WR: 1:43.86
200 Fly WR: 1:52.09
One can ask the question that if Mark Spitz was 23 today, with the same access to modern swim techniques, methods, gear (I mean, a cap and goggles probably would give him an extra second at least with that crazy hair-doo and stache!!).
It's not really meaningful to compare over a 35-year timeframe, but this is interesting: If Spitz took 1 second off his 200 FREE WR from 1972, his time would be .3 faster than MP's current FLY WR, rather than .7 slower.
Spitz 1972:
200 Free WR: 1:52.78
200 Fly WR: 2:00.70
Phelps Today:
200 Free WR: 1:43.86
200 Fly WR: 1:52.09
