Phelpsian

Michael Phelps is amazing. His performance even coined a new term 'Phelpsian'. What he has been able to accomplish over the span of the first week has left many wondering if he isn't just the greatest Olympian ever but the greatest athlete ever. Well let me tell you, it's not even close. He is NOT the greatest athlete of all time.

Don't get me wrong, what he did not only this past week but 4 years ago during Athens swimming Competition was amazing. And yes, while many Americans may not know it, he has been dominating the international swimming scene for about 6 years and may continue to do so for another 4. But have we forgotten that Lance Armstrong won what is considered to be the most grueling athletic undertaking on the planet for seven consecutive years? Winning Le Tour year in and year out against not only heated competition by drug enhanced competition seven years running will forever be unfathomable even though we actually witnessed it. You figure that riddle out. Try jumping into a pool and swimming 100 meters. If you're not a swimmer it will be hard you can be sure but you will get through it. Now try jumping on a bike and riding it over 120 miles on a flat road course in France. Chances are you aren't making it to the finish. Not only that but the average person would not make it up one single Category 1or 2 climb to say nothing of the Hors Category climbs, meaning those beyond classification. Michael Phelps, I certainly salute your achievements and in light of all your knew bling I do think you are that greatest Olympian ever but I'm sorry, you are not the greatest athlete of all time.

Lightning Bolt

Jamaica's Usain Bolt destroyed the competition in the 100 meter in World Record fashion and is on pace to destroy them again in the 200 meter. As I'm sure you know he even slowed during the final 15 meters of the 100 as he began celebrating the moment. Anyone who watched NBC on Monday saw Bob Costas and company rip Bolt for behaving in a manner that is not in line with the true spirit of the Olympic Games. I immediately thought they sounded like a bunch of preachers on a pulpit and apparently I wasn't alone. Dan Shanoff from the Sporting News apparently thought just that and got the point across better then I could so here's what he had to say in Bolt's defense.

Rather than defiling the spirit of the Olympics, Bolt embodied them. He cared so little for the pedestrian concept of a world record -- only for the thrill of Olympic gold -- that he put that world record at risk to celebrate the only success that mattered to him and his country.

Don't blame him for being so far ahead at 85 meters that he could celebrate early; surely, if anyone in the rest of the field was closer to him, he would have dug in -- again, not for any world record, but for this Olympic ideal Costas claims he disrespects.

Bolt did just enough to accomplish what he came to Beijing to do: Win gold in the 100. Any effort beyond that -- punish your enemies! -- would have been the very opposite of the spirit of the Games. And so everything after that was limited to a celebration of his joy.

What could be more Olympian than that?

I couldn't put it any better then that so I'm not trying. I hope he cruises to another victory in the 200 and enjoys his moment in the sun. It must be a great feeling to know that you are the absolute all time best in something at the moment in which you do it and I'm glad to see him enjoy it much like I enjoyed Phelps' rare moment of significant celebration after his second gold medal was won with an amazing finish by Jason Lezak. Some may argue that that celebration only took place AFTER victory was secured but had victory been certain with 10 meters left you can be sure Phelps and company would have started cheering as Lezak finished up, especially considering they were in the lane directly next to their rivals from France who had been talking trash before the race.

Chinese Democracy, um, I mean Domination

Everyone knows, I'm sure, that the Peoples Republic of China is dominating the medal count this year. They are considerably ahead of the USA in terms of Gold's and almost dead even with them in the overall count and, barring an amazing comeback in the final few days, have proven themselves to be the Champions of this years Summer Games. Obviously China put great emphasis on not only having an amazing show for the world to see but also a great emphasis on showing the world they can compete with the best of them, namely the good old US of A. Some may say their performance has been buoyed by their domination of so called 'secondary competitions' such as Badminton, Diving, Judo, Shooting, Table Tennis, Trampoline and Weightlifting where they have, as of 10:30 EST on 8/19/2008, accrued 29 of their 43 Gold's with more sure to come. Many in the US view Swimming, Track and Field and Gymnastics to be the areas of importance during the Games. Not coincidentally they are the three areas of athletics we perform best in. Though which came first, the chicken or the egg is debatable and a completely different topic/tangent that I won't get into. But China should be commended for their performance. They are even dominating in the aforementioned Gymnastics with 9 Gold Medals.

I think US citizens began to take for granted after the collapse of the USSR that we were the dominant athletic country of the world. Interestingly thoguh I don't believe that this nation has ever actually sponsored on the federal level the development of athletes with the sole intention of winning a Medal count at the Olympics. It just sort of happened that way. Whereas China has been focusing on this Olympics, since the moment they were awarded them, as their time and place to show the world all that they are capable of. On a federal level they organized their athletes with one goal. To win more Gold medals then any other country in 2008. When you think about it, a country of 1.3 billion people with a state sponsored athletic movement should dominate. Which has turned the US back into the highly skilled and capable underdog much like we were against the USSR. A role I think many Americans actually prefer to be in when it comes to battling other nations athletically. So I salute you China. You turned what was once a no contest into a compelling challenge.