There's not much more that can be said about Michael Phelps'
performances in Beijing. 8 gold medals. 7 world records. Certainly a
historic feat. Since then, people have been saying things like
"Greatest Olympian of All Time" and "World's Best Athlete" I have a
hard time admitting these bold assertions, partly because I don't know
about all of the other Olympians that have competed or all of the other
athletes of the world. I'm sure that most people don't either, but for
me, it's just hard to make those claims. For example, he is the
"greatest Olympian" statistically by gold medal count (I think) but
who's to say that another athlete wasn't as dominant in their sport,
but could only earn one medal per Olymipad? Again, I'm not saying that
he's not the best, I'm just saying that for me at least, it's hard to
know. Something that I have come to terms with (almost fully) is the
title of "Best Swimmer Ever." That idea got thrown around after World
Champs in 07 and not until after these Games do I think that he
deserves this title. My ideas may sound like I don't think that Phelps
is great; I think he is an amazing athlete and has taken what he does
to a level that is far superior to his competitors.
Going into the Olympics, someone asked me (their all-knowing swimming
friend) "How many gold medals is he going to win?" and I replied,
"Well, he's swimming 8 events, so..." "Do you think he can do it?"
"I'm not sure. I think there's a possibility that he can, but it will
be tough" In particular, the events that stood out in my mind as
possible spoilers of his sweep were Lochte in the 200/400 IM and
Crocker in the 100 fly...and I turned out to be wrong (gasp!).
400 IM- I was surprised by his OR in prelims, considering he usually
somewhat coasts into finals in the 1st, 2nd, or 3rd position. But I
never imagined a 4:03.84. In every major meet lately, it seems like he
breaks this world record, and not by tenths or hundredths- full
seconds! His dominance in this event is staggering, and to me it will
be disappointing to see him not swim this event in the future because
who knows how low he can go? I'm fine saying that he should continue
to swim this event forever, but you would never catch me swimming a 400
IM...seriously.
400 Free Relay- No words can describe what a race that relay was, and
once again how much the world record was crushed! Few people realize
that Michael broke the 100 free American record leading off, and would
have been .01 off of the world record, if Eamon Sullivan hadn't broken
it .27 seconds before he touched. The rest of the relay was obviously
AMAZING with all four guys going life-time bests. This post is mostly
about Michael, but I can't help but holla at Jason Lezak because anyone
who can go 46.06 deserves a shout out!
200 Free- I was not able to watch this race, but just seeing that
1:42.96 makes me appreciate how much he pwned that race. I was
surprised last year when he busted out 1:43 to take down Thorpey's
record, and this is just another WOW moment, compliments of MP.
Looking at his splits, it's surprising to see that he led the whole
way, but maybe that's a result of his recent capacity for sprinting.
Any way you slice it, still a great swim!
200 Fly- Another gold medal, another world record. I didn't catch this
one either, but apparently his goggles filled up with water. Well then
how did I know that, you might ask? Well Rowdy Gaines brought it up
SEVERAL times PER SESSION, for the rest of the week and didn't let
anyone forget it. Who cares? People originally didn't wear goggles in
competition fearing they would fill with water. But you know what?
The world didn't end, so I don't see why it needed to be such a big
deal. He obviously handled it well and pushed past the 1:53 barrier.
Once again, how low can he go?
800 Free Relay- Again, Phelps led off with one of the fastest times in
history, and Team USA dominated the rest of the way, winning by over 5
seconds. I was glad to see him lead off so well compared to the
previous WR from 07 Worlds (1:43.31 vs. 1:45.36), and that was a major
part of why they broke old record by 4.5 seconds. 6:58.56 is hella
fast!
200 IM- Same old story, gold medal (#6). World Record. Destroyed the
field. Pushing the time in the event to new levels. Amazingness.
...yeah.
100 Fly- Now this one was definately an exciting one. Before the
Games, few people though Cavic would be the one to threaten in this
event- maybe for a medal, but beating Phelps and Crocker in the 100
fly? I don't think so. Using his signature turn/streamline, powerful
back half, and half stroke into the wall, his magnetic fingers somehow
got into the wall first. I think Rowdy called his finish "magic" but I
would have to go with something more along the lines of "well timed".
I was just as surprised as everyone else, but I managed to hold it in
somewhat unlike some people who screamed idiotically for a few minutes
(I won't name any names, but I think we all know who). The reaction on
Momma Phelps' face was priceless and she is now a celebrity in her own
right. But seriously, that was an excellent race, and unlike EVERY
OTHER Phelps race, it was actually close!
400 Medley Relay- Phelps' relay split of 50.15 is obviously amazing,
and it's good to see that he earned his position (in my mind at
least... GO CROCKER!) on that relay and helped to break another WR.
His team attitude on this relay especially impressed me, and it was the
cherry on top of a great meet.
So overall, Michael Phelps isn't some super hero or "boy wonder" or
anything else, but simply an amazing swimmer who performed a historic
feat and continues to dominate the sport in so many different events.
He is now a national celebrity and the media has been following his
every move, from "sucking face" with Stephanie Rice to purchasing a new
house. It will be interesting to see how long his Hollywood-esque
celebrity status lasts. To me, his rise to this level of stardom is
similar to David Beckham. What American would honestly go to a
freaking soccer game? But apparently this David Beckham guy is bamf at
soccer, so we love soccer now! Hopefully Mike can ride this media wave
(as much as Libby Lenton rode his wake at the Duel) and accomplish his
goal of promoting the sport, something that he should get another gold
medal in...not that he needs it or anything. But seriously, that was a
historic moment and I'm glad that I was able to see all of his
accomplishments in the past few years and in years to come.
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