An Olympic Splash

Michael Phelps does three things in life: Swim, eat, and sleep. I was reading an article in The Guardian today on his amazing carb and protein heavy diet of 12,000 calories per day. It was amusing and the comments were stupid as usual. It's still amazing that he can put away six times as much food as the average male and two times as much as Lance Armstrong. The link is below:

http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/food/2008/08/michael_phelps_really_big_brea.html

I was discussing this with a friend yesterday, and we both agreed that the media has ODed on Michael Phelps. Phelpsmania is everywhere. Even without Phelps, the US men's team is exceptionally talented. With the exception of Brendan Hansen, who has had a disappointing year, the rest of the field is exceptionally talented. Although swimming is an individual sport, there's a deep camaderie among the US team that's especially touching. If Michael Phelps didn't exist, his close friend and competitor Ryan Lochte would undoubtedly be the best swimmer in the world and have a larger slew of medals (he already has a generous sized pile) to his name. Apparently Phelps will only take off his earphones in the ready room for one person, Ryan Lochte. Lochte also says that he's gotten Phelps to loosen up outside of the pool (the time left over after 6+ hours of swimming in a day, massive eating, and sleep is unclear).

Still, it's inspiring to see swimmers (even Phelps) as people outside of the pool. Part of the reason is because swimming is a huge college sport in the US and powerhouses such as the University of Texas, Florida, and Auburn churn out top competitors in the sport. The University of Texas story is also pretty darned awesome. Brendan Hansen, Aaron Peirsol, and Ian Crocker are Longhorns. All were part of the winning 4 by 100 Medley relay in Athens, which set a world record. Ironically, Brendan Hansen was beaten in the 200 Breaststroke in the US trials by his teammates, Scott Spann and Eric Shanteau. To make the story even more dramatic, Eric Shanteau revealed that he had testicular cancer but still managed to swim in Beijing.

Although I'm a huge Aaron Peirsol fan, I have to say that Ryan Lochte does deserve some of my admiration for not being afraid to go against Peirsol in the 200 back and Phelps in the 200 IM. At the US trials, Michael Phelps dropped the 200 back in favor of concentrating solely on the 200 IM. He thought that the talent pool in the backstroke was considerable and he had a better shot in the IM. I would be amazed if Lochte beat Peirsol in the 200 back and Phelps in the 200 IM with only a thirty minute interval between the two races. Like most others, I think that Lochte has a good chance of beating Peirsol in the backstroke (They share the world record), but won't have the energy to really be a factor against Phelps. Racing against the best backstroker in the world in his event and the best all-around swimmer in his means that Lochte has to give 120% in both races. I just hope he doesn't kill himself while doing it.

I can't watch the 200 back final because it's just way too intense for me. I'm rooting so heavily for Peirsol that I'm going to be absolutely distraught if he loses (I'm getting a funny feeling that Lochte's going to beat him). Still, even if Lochte beats him, Peirsol will have his gold from the 100 back, a silver in the 200 back, and most probably a gold in the 4 by 100 Medley relay. It will probably be Peirsol's last Olympics. As Ian Thorpe showed us, it's good to quit while you're ahead. Phelps has stated that he would like to swim in London 2012, but won't ever attempt his punishing quest for eight golds again. He said that he was old at 23 and wouldn't train competitively until February of next year.

It's just amazing how young these athletes are. What do they do when their careers end at 25 or 26? Knowing that you peaked and there's still 60 more years to go, what goals do you set? What do you look forward to? How do you go from such a disciplined schedule to nothing at all? I hear that Ian Thorpe is interested in starting his own clothing label. Success can be fleeting, but oh so sweet while it lasts.