Van Almsick vs Thompson
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Thompson wins: Dominance, Longevity, Honours
Van Almsick wins: Peak, Statistics
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Showing full careers. Pick a window to recalculate the selected period.
Category radar
Verdict
Thompson leads in 3 of 5 weighted categories. Twelve-time Olympic medallist and one of the most decorated swimmers in history.
Category breakdown
Season form · Form index per season
Career timeline · Form index per season
Cumulative output season by season — the shape of each career against the other.
GOAT pace tracker
Career stage · GOAT pace
Through season 5 · Form index per season| Ghost race · career day | 30 | 100 | 365 | 1000 | 1825 | 3650 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇩🇪 Van Almsick | 0 | 0 | 0 | 119.9 | 478.7 | 960.1 |
| 🇺🇸 Thompson | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 17 | 31 |
Careers are aligned at debut, so a rookie's first 5 seasons are measured against the same window in a legend's career — Yamal against Messi at the same age-stage, a tour rookie against Tiger Woods in 1996.
| Metric | Van AlmsickRetired | ThompsonRetired |
|---|---|---|
| Olympic medals | 10 | 12 |
| World Championship golds | 3 | 9 |
| European titles | 18 | — |
| 200 m freestyle world records | 2 | — |
| 200 m freestyle best | 118 | — |
| Olympic gold medals | — | 8 |
| Olympic Games contested | — | 4 |
| World records | — | 5 |
| Dominance w25% | 84 | 86 |
| Peak w20% | 94 | 90 |
| Longevity w20% | 84 | 86 |
| Honours w20% | 88 | 92 |
| Statistics w15% | 92 | 90 |
Fan vote — data vs the people
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