Caution: The cement is still wet.
It will dry soon, after we can all take a break, sit back, and come to terms with what just took place in Beijing. And it will not crack for years, if not ever.
Michael Phelps has solidified himself as the greatest swimmer ever, the greatest Olympian ever, the greatest athlete of our time, and arguably and quite possibly the greatest athlete ever. He came into the Olympics with a chance to tie and break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in one Olympic games, back in 1972. And with all the press and publicity surrounding his chase for immortality, he delivered.
Could you have scripted the way he won any better than it actually happened? (Here's a hint: Don't even try, because it's not possible.) He won races by landslides (or should I say waterslides?) He made our hearts pound even harder in the 100 meter butterfly, winning by the slimmest of margins (.01 seconds), and was part of magical relay teams that dominated and posted enormous comebacks.
But there lies the reason behind his eight. He had to rely on teammates to produce, and they answered. This is what makes him such a great athlete, with comparisons to Michael Jordan (basketball) and Lance Armstrong (cycling). Both dominated their sports by themselves, often captivating the world in their pursuit of their personal greatness, but relied on their teammates to deliver championships and key wins. And who could forget the way Phelps played the role of cheerleader during Jason Lezak's amazing comeback in the 4 x 200 freestyle relay? He was more concerned about his team than himself, a concept most athletes cannot grasp.
Take a moment to inhale what has all happened, and then take some time to reflect on the words that are on most people's minds:
Greatest. Athlete. Ever.
Could it be? I know there are critics out there who claim swimming is not as rigorous on the body due to the turnaround time between races, but those are the same critics who do not train and swim for eight to ten hours a day. Those are the same critics who probably can not swim 50 meters in under a minute. Those are the same critics who will get on me (and I guarantee I am not alone in making this claim) because it is simply impossible to compare athletes of different sports, of different eras, and possibly of different amounts of media coverage.
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