Most Dominant Athletes of the Past Three Years

Michael Phelps hasn't been very dominant recently, but this article is about the past three years. And last year, Phelps was the most dominant swimmer on the planet.

Eight gold medals at one Olympics! That's crazy!

And add to that, seven of those medals were won in world record setting times. The one medal won that was not a world record, was an Olympic record.

I would love to see Phelps return to his previous dominance. Hopefully he can shake off that rust, forget his mistakes, and move on.

And hopefully he doesn't make any more stupid mistakes.

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most dangerous soccer players on the planet.

In the 2007-08 season, Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions. He scored 31 league goals and became the first (and so far only) winger to win the European Golden Shoe. He also won the 2008 Ballon d'Or and the 2008 FIFA World Player of the Year.

With Manchester United, Ronaldo won the 2007-08 English Premier League and the 2007-08 UEFA Champions League. He scored 8 goals in the Champions League and was the highest scorer in that competition too. He won also won a host of other awards.

All this as a winger, not even as a striker!

In the 2008-09 season, Ronaldo was half of his previous season's form due to injury, but he was still extremely dangerous.

With Manchester United, he won the 2008 FIFA Club World Cup, the 2008-09 English Premier League, and the 2009 Carling Cup, as well as finishing runners-up at the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League.

He scored 18 goals in the league, which was good enough for second place in the scoring charts. This season saw him score two fantastic goals each from 40 yards out in the Champions League.

Hopefully, Ronaldo will be able to find the form that saw him win so much in the 2007-08 season at Real Madrid. Then I wouldn't mind changing the title if this slide for that reason.

When I heard that Federer had won another Grand Slam title this year, I was shocked! How many titles can one man win?!

Plus, the Wimbledon title that he just won was his 15th, which passes Pete Sampras for the most all time.

Don't expect Federer to stop winning titles any time soon.

Usain "Lightning" Bolt has definitely earned his nickname. Bolt broke the world record for the fastest 100m in the 2008 Olympics, giving him the title of The Fastest Man in the World.

Then he broke the 200 meter world record in the 2008 Olympics, making him scientifically the fastest man in the world. He even broke the world record in the 150 meter race.

He's got Olympic gold medals in the 100m, 200m, and the 4x100m relay.

Just recently, he ran the fourth fastest 200m in history while the rain came pouring down.

This guy is AMAZING! My guess is that he's going to continue dominating the track, and continue breaking world records as well.

The statistics speak for themselves.

In the 2008-09 season, Lionel Messi scored 38 goals and registered 18 assists.

But statistics don't show the amazing skill of Messi on the field. He twists and turns on the field while dribbling past defenders as he wishes which absolutely baffles the spectators.

With Barcelona, Messi won the Copa del Rey, the Spanish La Liga, and the 2008-09 UEFA Champions League. He helped in leading Barcelona to become the first Spanish team to win the Treble.

Messi is this year's favorite to win the Ballon d'Or. I wouldn't be surprised if he continues his mesmerizing form next season.

Kobe Bryant is an absolutely unstoppable player to guard and an even more enjoyable player to watch.

In 2009, Bryant won his fourth NBA title while being named MVP for the second year in a row in the process.

It's absolutely amazing how easy he makes scoring 30 points a game lock.

If Phil Jackson makes a return to LA, I wouldn't be surprised to see Bryant play in another NBA Finals.

LeBron James is probably currently the best basketball player on the planet.

In the 2008-09 season, LeBron was named NBA MVP while also being named to the NBA All-Defensive Team and the All-NBA First Team. Did I mention that he led his team in total points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocks? Well he did.

Throughout the playoffs, LeBron averaged nearly 30 points per game before his team was eliminated in the Eastern Conference Finals.

I am positive that "The King" will continue his dominating ways on the court in many seasons to come. The only thing he now needs is an NBA title to show for all of his hard work.