game of thrones - Was Eddard Stark as good a/better swordsman as/than Jaime Lannister?

I have a group of friends that all have read the books (not so solid on the show though), and one of them brought up that Ned (Eddard) Stark was one of the best swordsmen in Westeros.

At the time, he couldn't remember what the evidence to back this claim up was, just that he had "read it on the internet somewhere". Though Ned holds a special place in my heart, and I would love to believe that this is true, is there any real evidence in the books/show that support the claim of his swordsmanship?

Note: after him saying this and with it in mind, you can see that in the episode of "Game of Thrones" where the Lannisters apprehend Ned that he holds his own against Jaime for a short time before being stabbed, and during which time Jaime had a look on his face that seemed to acknowledge his opponents skill and enjoy the challenge. This, of course, it not enough to support/debunk the claim, but I thought it an interesting place to start.

Answer

George R. R. Martin is on the record calling Ned merely a "competent" swordsman and Jaime Lannister one of the best swordsman in the history of Westeros.

Of note are a couple of details which are of relevance to the series, such as Martin's stipulation that Jaime Lannister is one of the greatest swordsmen in the history of the Seven Kingdoms and his indicating yet again that the Ned Stark of the novels isn't really a great warrior, that his talents lie elsewhere.

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