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Home > Jeff Schultz > Archives > 2008 > August > 12 > Entry
DEL.ICIO.USPhelps is human after all
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Beijing — After winning his third gold medal and continuing to make the world’s other top swimmers look like Labradors wearing water wings, Michael Phelps was nice enough to share his training secrets with the assembled masses.
“I’m eating plenty of pasta and pizza,” he said. “I’m eating a lot of carbs. And I’m sleeping as much as I can.”
Now, I’m not sure if this was merely a transparent attempt to procure an endorsement deal with Pizza Hut, or if Phelps was just schmoozing the media, which, by the way, really takes only pizza and pasta. But it was comforting to learn he has something in common with the rest of humanity, even if every lap in these Olympics seems to scream otherwise.
Phelps is not just winning. As teammate Aaron Peirsol said, “He’s absolutely destroying everything.”
His first five races have resulted in five gold medals and five world records.
There are similar levels of dominance. But they require a food chain.
Phelps arrived at the Beijing pool Wednesday morning with three gold medals. He left with five. The latest two: The 200-meter butterfly, in which he swam to a record 1:52.03 despite his goggles filling up with water.
“I couldn’t see anything for the last 100,” he said. “It just kept getting worse and worse, and I was having trouble seeing the walls to be honest.”
He still touched the wall ahead of Hungary’s Laszlo Cseh. Maybe next time, somebody can tie an anchor to his leg.
Phelps added his fifth gold when he swam the first leg — and the fastest leg — of the 4x200 relay. The U.S. team’s winning time was 6:58.56. Second place is still swimming.
It’s not surprising Phelps could overcome that whole goggle thing. “One thing that separates Michael is the way he swims even when he doesn’t feel well,” his coach, Bob Bowman, said. “Michael kind of performs independently of his feelings. It gets back to knowing exactly what he wants to accomplish. He’s able to compartmentalize what’s important. It goes back to that quote, ‘Winning means: what’s important now.’ I think Michael is very good at knowing what’s important now.”
You know what Michael is? Michael is a freak.
In the 400 individual medley, possibly his toughest individual event, he won by over two seconds. In the 4x100 freestyle relay, he got a little help from teammate Jason Lezak, who swam the final 50 like Evinrude was stamped on his rump. The third gold: another world record in the 200 freestyle.
The question isn’t whether he’ll win but whether the other seven swimmers show up on the blocks holding pizza boxes.
He is now the winningest Olympian ever: 11 gold medals, 13 overall. He didn’t ever realize he was approaching an Olympic record shared by Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz and others the other day until being told by Bowman. But things tend to blur after 25 world records in individual Olympic events.
Some athletes are great because of natural ability and work ethic. Some become otherworldly when they find uncommon ways to motivate themselves. He denounced reporters who claim he’s circled Spitz’s record eight golds on his to-do list. But he is the one who said four years ago that he wanted to change swimming.
He admitted that he still uses the third-place finish (slacker) in Athens four years ago as motivation in the 200 free. And admitted he has been motivated to overcome post-Athens setbacks, including a DUI, a broken wrist and the blahs. Friends sent him “over 100” text messages after his first gold. “I was just thinking about all these text messages, saying, ‘We’re all rooting for you,” he said. “I got a little choked up.”
He was 15 when he made the Olympic team in 2000, the youngest swimmer to make it since 1932. He finished fifth in the 200 butterfly. It was a nice story.
Five months later, he broke the world record.
Three years and seven months later, he won six golds and two bronzes.
This year, maybe eight golds.
Please, stop him before he eats again.
Permalink | Comments (19) | Post your comment | Categories: Beijing Olympics
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By lee
August 13, 2008 12:21 AM | Link to this
First, This guy is a freak, nobody is better.
By xynox
August 13, 2008 12:29 AM | Link to this
Phelps is the greatest athlete in the world…and he is white!
By Ken Stallings
August 13, 2008 12:40 AM | Link to this
Among the more witty, brilliant sports columns I have ever read. I laughed at such gems as “Evinrude stamped on his rump,” and “second place is still swimming!”
The subject was certainly interesting, but without trying to overshadow the subject you injected much originally humorous statements yourself.
Well done!
By Rudolf
August 13, 2008 4:07 AM | Link to this
Michael Phelps is an a true sportsman with great enthusiasm
By JSS
August 13, 2008 4:24 AM | Link to this
You fools sound like a bunch of turkeys looking up when it rains and drowning! Schultz again makes backhand comments about athletes, men and boys who have worked tirelessly for this moment. Yes they were beaten by a magnificent athlete, but that is why they “award” silver and bronze,
The only thing interesting in this tripe is that he finally covered an actual event without trying to practice that warped third grade political view… Hey moron, we’re nearly week in, and the two biggest names in the last 60 years of Olympic competition are nowhere to be found: Germany and the Russian Federation. There are real stories out there. Ask Kim Coventry how it feels to represent a nation where such turmoil exists with the class that’s she has exhibited. You’re a SAD MAN!
By Notsofast
August 13, 2008 10:45 AM | Link to this
Correction to Xynox
Tiger Woods is the greatest athlete in the world. Just ask his financial advisor and accountant. And he isn’t white.
By DirtyDawg
August 13, 2008 11:25 AM | Link to this
The last time I heard the ESPN’s spouting-heads gush over an athlete like they are this kid, Big Brown was gonna run away with The Belmont and the Triple Crown. Sure Phelps is a freaky athlete, but the greatest Olympian ever? First, what makes you the greatest ever? The number of gold metals? He’s in a sport that gives metals away for every little difference in distance and stroke - my guess is that if track and field held competitions for running backward, or sideways, or holding your arms to the side, or over your head, and had relays for each - you’d see a lot more T&F medal ceremonies. Ridiculous of course, but that explains the number of metals. Is ‘The Greatest All-Time’ based on the impact at the time - then it’s Jesse Owens…and if we’re talking about ‘All-Time’ then it’s Cassius/Muhammad Ali…and if we’re we’re talking about longevity, it’s Al Oerter or Carl Lewis - four consecutive Olympics. So lets’ lighten up on this Greatest Ever label a bit, I mean you’d think that ESPN was owned by NBC the way their hyping this guy…plus swimming is over in another day or so and we’ll have other ‘Best Evers’ to hype.
By GB
August 13, 2008 11:56 AM | Link to this
Metals?!
By Supes
August 13, 2008 12:13 PM | Link to this
Anyone who follows sports, international competition, world championships, olympic games, etc knows that when Michael Phelps is done with swimming he will have become the most dominant athlete to ever compete in ANY competition.
End of story. People who question the different strokes, distances, etc you have no understanding of the sport of swimming.
The difference between the 200fly and 200freestyle would be like Kobe Bryant winning the gold in Basketball and going over to win the gold in Tennis.
Jeff, thank you for writting an article on the subject of the 2008 Olympics. It seems the AJC is obsessed with all other local matters and while the rest of the international press puts the Olympics front page coverage, this is your first attempt for the games so far. Keep it coming. Where is the article on the “redeem team”, or Misty May and Kerry Walsh? Aaron Piersol? Natalie Coughlin? Plenty of other stories to tell. Man up AJC, shows us you know more than college football these days.
By ED
August 13, 2008 12:24 PM | Link to this
Greatest Athlete ever…Michael Jordan.
Most Dominant Ever…Michael or Tiger
Most Dominant Olympian…Phelps.
The kid is a machine. What he is doing is like Michael Johnson winning the 100, 200, 400, 4x100, 4x400, 100 hurdles and the 400 hurdles and add the 800 for good measure while setting world records at every event and not just barely! And Johnson was dominant but he didn’t do that. I chose Johnson for my example because he was one of my favorites, add Lewis or whomever, it doesnt change.
By bali smith
August 13, 2008 1:14 PM | Link to this
no jeff……………. you are the freak great article keep up the good work. By the way, how is the pizza in china
By Poste Haste
August 13, 2008 1:19 PM | Link to this
Have you ever tried to do the butterfly stroke? It’s impossible. Phelps is a super hero.
By rednecker
August 13, 2008 1:43 PM | Link to this
Hey JSS,
Kiss my *ss…
J.S.
By Hamilton
August 13, 2008 2:32 PM | Link to this
Forget this talk of swimming; does anyone know when SEC championship game tickets go on sale, so I can procure a pair and watch the HAIRY DOGS MARCH ONWARD TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.
Come to think of it, Phelps is not the greatest athlete ever, and neither is Michael Jordan or Tiger Woods. The greatest ever is whoever is wearing the Red & Black on Saturdays this season. Go UGA!
By OhioDawg
August 13, 2008 3:55 PM | Link to this
“The Greatest Ever” label is an invitation to an argument that is unnecessary and unwinnable. Is Phelps the greatest swimmer ever? Unquestionably! Is golf a sport, a skill (like pool or bowling) where overweight fifty-somethings can win world titles), or a combination? Which sport demands the most athleticism? The most brainpower? A blend of the two (think NFL QB)? Should brainpower even be considered? If so, is chess a sport? And on, and on, ad nauseam (a lot of very good athletes will probably have to look that one up). Any of these can and do generate heated, sometimes violent and always unsatisfying arguments that are full of sound and fury, signifying nothing. Why don’t we all just have a sandwich, take a short nap and enjoy watching something we may very well never see again? The only thing that all of us can say without fear of contradiction is that they’re all better than we are - much better.
By Brendan
August 13, 2008 4:40 PM | Link to this
I’d love to try Chinese pizza. I wonder what sort of the toppings the Chinese like on their pizza?
By RanMan
August 13, 2008 9:11 PM | Link to this
Just think: if the Olympics were in Paris this year, the French would be drug testing Phelps every 15 minutes…
By educator
August 13, 2008 9:25 PM | Link to this
Please leave race out of the Olympics. The greatest ever is an opinion so the argument will never be settled because everyone has a different opinion. I just am enjoying watching Michael swim.
By Nesstv.net
August 17, 2008 12:33 AM | Link to this
The damage is already done in Beijing: 8 golds, 7 records in one cube (the water cube)! I definitely say this guy is The Greatest Ever!