| Yara 10.08.2008 23:57 |
Michael Phelps. He rocks. The guy is genius. It's just beautiful to watch him swim. |
| Charlie Brown 11.08.2008 00:19 |
Hi Yara! Long time no see. The whole American relay team was amazing. To be fair the first 5 teams finshed ahead of the previous world record time. What a exciting race. |
| StoneColdClassicQueen 11.08.2008 00:43 |
Michael Phelps is God??!?!?!? Tell that to Treasure Moment XDDDDDDDDD hahah i haven't really seen the olympics I just don't really care about sports but i do like watching gymnastics and saw an Asian chick fall :( |
| john bodega 11.08.2008 02:44 |
Fuck the Olympics. |
| pittrek 11.08.2008 05:07 |
Zebonka12 wrote: Fuck the Olympics.I know better things more suitable for fucking |
| john bodega 11.08.2008 05:45 |
pittrek wrote:Are you kidding? The Olympic flag alone has 5 holes.Zebonka12 wrote: Fuck the Olympics.I know better things more suitable for fucking |
| Freya is quietly judging you. 11.08.2008 08:25 |
Zebonka12 wrote: Fuck the Olympics.Word. |
| Sergei. 11.08.2008 11:06 |
If watching him swim is beautiful, watching him drive intoxicated must move you to tears. |
| Dan C. 11.08.2008 12:26 |
No, FRED Phelps is God. Jesus people, check the facts! |
| Freya is quietly judging you. 11.08.2008 14:37 |
Dan Corson VIII: I Am Sunshine wrote: No, FRED Phelps is God. Jesus people, check the facts!HA! Although, he would have you go to hell for that, as it's really rather blasphemous. |
| The Real Wizard 12.08.2008 16:11 |
Zebonka12 wrote:Ha ha !!pittrek wrote:Are you kidding? The Olympic flag alone has 5 holes.Zebonka12 wrote: Fuck the Olympics.I know better things more suitable for fucking |
| Yara 13.08.2008 11:38 |
At least I can still have acess to Yahoo! People, he is God indeed! Even Alexander Sukhorukov, one of his adversaries, implied so! I hope you all enjoy the article, it's fun. The whole thing is here: link Yara umarmt die ganze Welt. Well, just a piece of it: Phelps becomes winningest Olympic athlete ever BEIJING - A daily double. Michael Phelps swam into history as the winningest Olympic athlete ever with his 10th and 11th career gold medals ? and five world records in five events at the Beijing Games. A day after etching his name alongside Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis with gold No. 9, Phelps set a standard all his own when he won the 200-meter butterfly Wednesday morning. An hour later, he swam the leadoff of a runaway victory by the U.S. 800 freestyle relay team, which shattered the old world mark by more than four seconds. "He is just another person, but maybe from a different planet," said Alexander Sukhorukov, who swam the anchor leg for the second-place Russians. In his signature stroke, Phelps had a problem with his goggles. But that didn't keep him from touching first in the fly. No such worries in the relay. Seemingly impervious to fatigue, the gangly, 23-year-old American set a blistering pace of 1 minute, 43.31 seconds that got the Americans rolling toward a winning time of 6:58.56 ? the first team ever to break the 7-minute barrier. "Come on! Come on!" he screamed at teammates Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens and Peter Vanderkaay. The previous record of 7:03.24 was set by the Americans at last year's world championships. Russia took the silver, more than five seconds behind the Americans, who mainly had to make sure they didn't jump in the water too soon. Australia won the bronze. "Safe start! Safe start!" Phelps yelled at Berens before he dove in. After a six-gold performance at the 2004 Athens Games, Phelps needed only five days in Beijing to surpass Spitz, Lewis, Soviet gymnast Larysa Latynina and Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi as the winningest Olympian ever. Phelps is now all alone at the top of the career golds list, with three more chances to stretch his lead before he leaves China. He'll swim in the 200 individual medley, 100 fly and 400 medley relay. "There is still something left in the tank," Phelps said. "I've got three races left, so there had better be something left in the tank." In the fly, Phelps was second at the first flip, then pushed it into another gear, his long arms gobbling up huge chunks of water as he literally sailed along atop the surface. He finished in 1:52.03, breaking his mark of 1:52.09 from the 2007 worlds. Phelps barely smiled as he looked at the board, breathing heavily and hanging on the lane rope. Hungary's Laszlo Cseh really pushed it at the end, but settled for silver in 1:52.70. Japan's Takeshi Matsuda took the bronze in 1:52.97. Phelps rubbed his eyes and said climbing from the pool, "I can't see anything." A pair of leaky goggles kept him from even seeing the wall as he touched. "My goggles kept filling up with water during the race," Phelps said. "I wanted a world record, I wanted 1:51 or better, but in the circumstances not too bad I guess." Still, he had two more golds and two more records before lunchtime, leaving him just three wins away from beating Spitz's record of seven gold medals in a single games. He's also keeping pace with Spitz on the record front. Spitz set world standards in all of his wins at Munich; Phelps is now 5-for-5 in China. "I'm pumped about our relay," Phelps said. "It's the most fun thing to be in a team environment and be part of a relay. It's cool when you get four Americans who all swim well together. Everyone has to play their part or it's just not going to happen. We've been lucky that we've been able to do that." The Americans are sure lucky to have Phelps, who is already recognized as the greatest swimmer ever ? sorry, Mark ? and plans to keep competing at least through the 2012 London Games." |
| Rick 13.08.2008 12:43 |
Van den Hoogenband is going to win gold tomorrow. I just feel it. |
| Poo, again 13.08.2008 16:40 |
Freya is quietly judging you. wrote:Zebonka12 wrote: Fuck the Olympics.Word. |
| Hikara 13.08.2008 19:25 |
Sorry, Weird Al Yankovic is God. Or was it that he's a parody and a good one at that? Tis somewhere on Uncyclopedia... |
| Rick 14.08.2008 06:50 |
Rick wrote: Van den Hoogenband is going to win gold tomorrow. I just feel it.I was wrong. |
| Yara 14.08.2008 08:05 |
It's really wonderful to be able to watch such extraordinarily talented people, who may change the history of a certain art or sport and have their legacy reminded by millions of people from all over the world over time, winning it all and displaying such confidence, seriousness and dedication to what they do. This article is great fun and it's a beautiful hommage to him, the greatest athlete ever to have been at the Olympics! I hope you people who enjoy the sport like it! Here it is: Phelps sets gold standard By Charles Robinson BEIJING: Four years ago in Athens, when Michael Phelps had completed the lifelong dream and was clutching his first gold medal, his mother and two sisters scoured a fence line dividing swimmers from spectators. In the middle of hundreds of prying eyes, a hand reached through the fence during an intimate moment. Huddling close, Phelps' mother Debbie and his sisters Hillary and Whitney locked their eyes on the glimmering medal hanging from a ribbon. They all cried. Even now, when one of them tells the story, they struggle to keep the tears back. "Michael stuck his medal through the fence and we were all there. It was so special", Hillary said. "He stuck the medal through and was like: Look what I did! I did it. I did it." On Wednesday in Beijing, Phelps repeated the feat for the 10th and 11th times, winning the 200-meter butterfly and swimming the opening leg of the 4x200 freestyle relay, giving him more gold medals than any Olympian in the history of the games. The former mark of nine golds was held by American icons Carl Lewis and Mark Spitz and Finnish distance runner Paavo Nurmi and Soviet gymnast Larissa Latynina. Phelps' historic run has been so stunning, even his competitors are grasping for ways to define his greatness. British swimmer Simon Burnett and U.S. mens head coach Eddie Reese were walking into the cafeteria this week when Reese said Burnett told him: "I think I've figured out Michael Phelps. He's not from another planet. He's from the future. His father made him and made a time machine. Sixty years from now he is an average swimmer, but he has come back here to mop up." "I'm almost kind of at a loss for words", Phelps said. "Growing up, I always wanted to be an Olympian. Now to be the most decorated Olympian of all time, it just sounds weird saying it. I just have absolutely nothing to say. I'm speechless." "It's a pretty cool title, I guess you could say." [haha - laugh not in the original article!] Phelps grabbed that title in typical fashion. He set his fourth world record in capturing the 200 fly in 1 minute, 52.03 seconds, which is .06 seconds faster than the world record he set in the prelims one day earlier. And he was part of his fifth world record when the 4x200 free team finished in 6:58.56, gouging a ridiculous 4.64 seconds off the previous mark. "It is very hard to be swimming the relay also on the same day (as the butterfly). I don't know how he is doing this", said Pawel Korzeniowski, who finished sixth behind Phelps in the fly. "Everybody is thinking: How can he do this and break world record?" Amazingly, Phelps won the fly despite his goggles filling with water as he approached the 150-meter mark in the race. Once getting to the finishing blocks, he flung off his cap and goggles in disgust and vigorously rubbed his eyes, despite having set a record in the race. "I couldn't see", Phelps said. "I was trying to see the "T" on the bottom [of the pool] to try and judge my turn and the finish. I was more or less just sort of counting strokes. I sort of know how many strokes I take in a 50, and I was hoping I was going to be dead on and I was going to be able to hit the wall perfectly. I was able to get my hand on the wall first and it was a best time, but I think I was just disappointed that I know I can go faster than that." [Haha, man, this is ridiculous. This guy IS God] Even with the technical issues, Phelps' wins still smacked of every other race in these games, when Phelps was only shoulder to shoulder with his foes for a mere moment standing on the starting blocks. After that, the world has been a witness to prolonged amazement, to the point where his races in Beijing have attracted the likes of U.S. President George W. Bush, Lebron James, Kobe Bryant and countless other individuals who are stars in their own right. But to truly understand Phelps' impact, you have to listen to his teammates, who have spent their lives training for this moment but are finding an extra bit of inspiration watching Phelps. Swimmers like America's Aaron Peirsol, who will go down as one of the best U.S. swimmers ever, having captured three gold medals in Athens and who is favored to leave Beijing with three more. One of Phelps' more measured teammates, Peirsol has always been respectful of his touted teammate, while also repeatedly pointing out that the rest of American swimming is pretty good, too. His message has never been subtle: Phelps is great, but he's still part of a team. And yet, even Peirsol was among those most impressed Tuesday, when Phelps had captured his third straight gold. "It may be ONCE in a century we see something like this", he said. "The rest of the world is catching up to the U.S., the way I look at it quite a bit. For him to be doing what he's doing at this moment in time, with the rest of the world coming up the way it is, I think that speaks volumes. And the way he's attacking this meet, too...he's not just winning, he's absolutely DESTROYING every race. It's awesome to watch. It's inspiring to me." "Every time I watch him swim, I'm more and more in awe of what he does", said three time gold-medalist Natalie Coughlin. "Being his teammate and being part of the team while he's doing all this kind of gives us a different perspective. I think years and years down the road we'll realize more and more how amazing and special he is." And yet, in a charming way, in a way that truly doesn't smack of false modesty, Phelps hardly seems to notice his own greatness. When Phelps locked up his ninth gold, his coach, Bob Bowman, casually reminded him of the company he had entered: Lewis, Spitz, Nurmi and Latynina. Four supremely talented athletes who, before Wednesday, had created the most elite Olympic fraternity. "You're tied", Bowman told Phelps. "Huh," he replied. "That's pretty cool." Maybe that nonchalance was part of how Phelps got to Wednesday, and how he will take the gold medal record and advance it to the stratosphere. Fourteen, 16, 18 ? There is no telling how many gold medals Phelps will have when he is through. And he rarely thinks about that big picture, anyway, which may be one of the defining traits of his greatness. "He never tries to make a quantum leap", Bowman said. "It's always just one more step. When you're kind of at the top of the mountain, the steps are pretty high. Even one more step takes you pretty far away from everyone else." Wednesday's step is arguably more remarkable than any step in the games that came before it. From Athens to Beijing, Phelps has now gone where no Olympian before him has traveled. |
| Holly2003 14.08.2008 14:46 |
A great swimmer no doubt, who has beaten everyone he competes against and deserves recognition for that. But according to a BBC report I saw, the world record times can be taken with a pinch of salt. The swimsuit he wears gives him an advantage over previous record holders as it decreases resistance. Also the swimming pool the chinese have built is specially designed to decrease water resistance. The marks they use give the swimmers more thrust than in pervious years, and finally leaving both end lanes empty also decreases water resistance...According to the BBC. I have no idea if this is correct or not so don't shoot the messenger. |
| Yara 15.08.2008 01:18 |
Another gold medal for Phelps. It's getting disturbing. lol I tell you, people, we're witnessing, for those who enjoy sports, history in the making. It's not going to happen again in our lives. It's a one-time in a century phenomenon. I'd like also to point out that Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson, the American gymnasts, did such a wonderful and beautiful presentation that I was moved to tears - they vied for the gold in the all-around, which is for me the most important proof to determine who's the best gymnast. They have to do the whole series, all the modalities, so it's very tiresome and you have to be good, very good in all modalities and really "stable", so to speak, there's no room for failure in the whole series. The American gymnasts were just great. Beautiful. They won the gold and the silver medal. Liukin will bring the gold home and Shawn Johnson, the silver medal - Liukin is 18 year-old and Shawn Johnson is 16!!!!!!!!!!!!! Now, I'd like to say something about Shawn Johnson, who got the silver medal - I wanted her to win, though I love Nastia's style, she's so confident that it seems she's just playing with her mates. Shawn Johnson is sooooo cute. She's not only a great gymnast, very young, really talented, but she's so gracious and delicate and cute that she moves me to tears - I think her performance was better than Nastia's, but ok, the judges of course know it better than me. lol But she didn't make any flaw in the last modality, her series was daring and difficult and she's so gracious, charming and has such a beautiful smile. She was in Brazil for the Pan-American games. She did some interviews and she's extraordinarily charming, cute, kind and clever. An awesome girl, a "little giant", for sure, this girl ROCKS HARD. She inspires me, she makes me wanna do better in everything I do, she has all the qualities an athelete should have, in my opinion. So, congratulations for all the American squad - Liukin and Johnson were fantastic in the all-around. And, of course, God won another gold medal and things are starting to become weird...hehehe. Man, this guy is outlandish, one really gets to doubt whether he's really a human being. Because these questions do arise: his adversaries just can't believe it. His team mates. The coach! Everyone's is in awe and a bit terrified. Hahaha. Like, it's one of the few times I see an athelete having to say that: "I'm normal person", "I'm a simple guy", hahaha, because, man, he's other-wordly. It's surreal what this guy can do. His turn is so perfect and beautiful that it defies any description. It's been very fun and inspiring to watch so many talented athletes. And being able to witness God on earth, that's for sure a priviledge. Not to mention the guy is huge: I think if I were next to him I'd tremble with fear. At the same time, when he speaks and people interview him, he's very sweet and kind, very different from what we see on the swimming pool, where he's absolutely confident and agressive. Great! Great! Great! Thanks for these people for bringing so much joy to so many people! |
| john bodega 15.08.2008 06:27 |
Yara wrote: we're witnessing, for those who enjoy sports, history in the making.Sports history? There's an oxymoron.. Yara wrote: It's not going to happen again in our lives.How will we manage! |
| Mr.Jingles 15.08.2008 07:10 |
Freya is quietly judging you. wrote:God hates Queen fans!Dan Corson VIII: I Am Sunshine wrote: No, FRED Phelps is God. Jesus people, check the facts!HA! Although, he would have you go to hell for that, as it's really rather blasphemous. ...Queenzoners especially. |
| Yara 15.08.2008 23:18 |
I've just watched and I can't believe it. There must be...I mean, I'm shocked. Really. Well, another gold medal for Phelps - it's his seventh gold medal in this olympics only. He has just broken the only remaining record. Now, he's not only the greatest olympic athlete ever but also the one who got more gold medals in a single competition. It was absolutely unexpected because the other guy, a very good American swimmer, was the favorite to win this proof in which Phelps tends to perform rather "poorly", that is, usually getting the...silver medal. Well, he got the gold medal and beat the guy who's considered the best in this category and held the world record. I couldn't believe what my eyes were seeing. It's unpredecented. I have never, ever seen anything like that in my life, it's just out of the league, the guy is one of the most impressive athletes I have ever seen. It's very impressive. At the same time, it's inspiring. His will to win every single race, to do always better is so inspiring. It reminds me of the two American gymnasts who won the gold and the silver medal yesterday in the all-around, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson: both are so commited, focused and confident that it's hard not to get moved by their gracious and flawless performances. I can't congratulate these people enough! They bring so much joy and inspiration in a world which gets more and more bleak over time...the fact they can gather there, just like yesterday, and the girls huging each other and comforting each other, no matter what country they came from, I mean, it was absolutely moving. Way to go! Really beautiful. |
| Saint Jiub 16.08.2008 01:11 |
"Could everyone please stop hyperventilating about Michael Phelps?" link Best ever in any olympic sport? ... Today? Not likely. Next Olympics? ... Could be. |
| john bodega 16.08.2008 04:22 |
The lowest common denominator needs something to cheer about..... live and let live. |
| ***Marial-B*** 16.08.2008 05:17 |
Rick wrote:I think it was what I thought xDRick wrote: Van den Hoogenband is going to win gold tomorrow. I just feel it.I was wrong. |
| Raf 16.08.2008 16:47 |
Phelps, God? I heard it was Eric Clapton. Since over a decade before Phelps was born. By the way, (fuck the Olympics)² and think not only about Tibet, but also about Chinese people who were expelled from their own homes and relocated to other places in order to free up space for new stadiums, think of all the Chinese people who have been arrested just because they had a blog where they moaned about the government, think of all the unfair executions that take place in China every year... |
| Music Man 16.08.2008 18:30 |
Phelps is good and all, but so what if he's won the most medals? I mean, how many sports are there where you can even win that many medals for doing the same exact thing, only a bit differently? |
| My Melancholy Blues 16.08.2008 22:19 |
I think Phelps is awesome. I got really excited. But what if he had moustache like Mark Spitz who won seven gold medals at Munich? :)) link |
| john bodega 16.08.2008 23:34 |
I couldn't be less impressed by this guy. You just know in 15 years he won't be any good to the world any more and he'll either wind up as a half-witted commentator or as 'the face' of some product I'm never going to buy. |
| Winter Land Man 17.08.2008 00:23 |
Yara wrote: Michael Phelps. He rocks. The guy is genius. It's just beautiful to watch him swim.Who is he? |
| Yara 17.08.2008 08:41 |
Music Man wrote: Phelps is good and all, but so what if he's won the most medals? I mean, how many sports are there where you can even win that many medals for doing the same exact thing, only a bit differently?I see there are still a lot of infidels around here. lol :op Look, I agree with you, I see your point. Guys in basketball don't have the chance to win so many medals and, of course, the best players don't even care about the olympics! So, like, you're right! But that's because you're using reason. And the post is about faith. :) Look, I watched yesterday's match - it was really beautiful and FUN! Comparing him to other great olympic athletes who held the title, including legendary gymnasts, he did better, he went beyond what they were able to do; and, most importantly, Spitz! He broke Spitz's record yesterday and now is the guy who won more medals in a single olympics too! And it took 36 YEARS (!) for someone to break this record! Now, you may say, so what? Spitz was also a swimmer. Yes! But, well, most dear Music Man!, that's the beauty of it! If you enjoy the sport - swimming - you can't fail to see that he outdid the guy who was the God in this sport, who was the reference, the Mr. Win it All. lol :p And, what's even more beautiful, he won the eigth gold medal in a proof where he also has to count on his mates, his squad: and...it was great, the other American athletes were under heavy pressure not to fail or do any fumble which could rob him the chance of breaking the record, even Cocker (well, it's his name...!) said he was kind of afraid, and the guys showed to much confidence, Music Man, and so much determination and willing to win, that I was really moved!. Like...I can't explain, because it's a matter of faith (hehehe), but when you see the guy under so much pressure displaying an extraordinary talent and being absolutely confident in what he does and wining it all and breaking all the boundaries of what he does...see? And what he does is admired and watched by millions of people! It's about an unique talent, it's about...FUN! Spitz himself is just nuts about the guy. He's speechless! He was the God and the legend in this sport. So, because I still want to convert the world, I paste this other article. Hehe. ---------- Phelps makes impossible dream come true By Dan Wetzel BEIJING: He arrived here at this massive blue cube in the Far East with the goals that couldn't have been bigger and margins for error that couldn't have been smaller. It was eight events, eight golds - all or nothing for Michael Phelps. In a perfect storm of athletic brilliance, otherworldly hype and a 17-swim, nine-day marathon of competition, Michael Phelps put together the most incredible Olympics ever. On Sunday morning here, his powerful butterfly gave the Americans the lead in the 400-meter medley relay. Phelps then watched teammate Jason Lezak bring it home to give him a perfect eight-for-eight Beijing Games, surpassing Mark Spitz for most golds in one Olympics and doing what many thought was impossible. "When someone says you can't do something, it shows that anything is possible," Phelps said. "When you put your mind to a certain thing, it can happen. The biggest thing is nothing is impossible. All it takes is an imagination." Over the last two weekends Phelps has changed the face of swimming. NBC ratings surged with his nightly heroics, fans flocked to all coverage of the sport and an athlete in a pool - not on a track, a balance beam or a basketball court - became the face of these games. You didn't need to even know how to swim to appreciate the greatness of Michael Phelps. On Saturday night back in America, the Baltimore Ravens, Phelps' hometown team, showed his eighth gold medal race on the stadium Jumbotron. It wasn?t simply something cool to do; it was born out of fear that fans would have left early or not shown up at all if the team didn't. Swimming in an NFL stadium? "My big goal is to change the sport of swimming," Phelps said. Phelps is always looking for bigger and better goals, which is why embracing the eight golds here was so appealing to him. Athletically, he probably can't do more. Phelps not only won them all but he was also a part of seven world records in the process. Spitz's mark stood 36 years and, considering the increased world competition in the sport, was considered unsurpassable until Phelps came along with a wing span three inches longer than his 6-foot-5 body. "I really wanted to do something that no one's ever done before in this sport," Phelps said. "The term "Spitzian feat" may be outdated," teammate Aaron Peirsol said. "It may now be Phelpsian feat." Phelps would make no such bold comment. Even as Spitz had taken some shots at him from afar and other swimmers had tried to get in his head with some comments, he carried himself with class and dignity. If anything, he just wouldn?t lose his concentration. It wasn't just his power and speed that made this happen, it was mental focus. He didn?t just have to come to the pool each morning and swim faster than the rest of the world. He had to take the day-in, day-out grind of the competition. These nine days seemed endless, one more challenge after the other, no room for the slightest of slip-ups. Meanwhile, everyone else ganged up on him. They all wanted to be the one to defeat Michael Phelps, so they geared up in their individual specialties, giving them their best for one day and then letting someone else take a shot at him the next. "Everyone on the planet is trying to make him work, giving him obstacles," said Milorad Cavic, the Californian who swam for Serbia. Cavic came closest to defeating him, losing by one hundredth of a second in the 100-meter butterfly and forcing Phelps to make a dramatic and truly most last second of comebacks. "It's been nothing but an upward rollercoaster," Phelps said. "It's been nothing but fun." The truth was Phelps couldn?t lose here. He simply wouldn't lose here. Couple that duel with Cavic and the wild comeback in the 4x100 free relay, and Phelps didn't just smash records and cruise to gold, he turned swimming into an edge-of-your-seat, must-watch event. "The whole things, every race, one after the other from winning by one-hundredth of a second (Saturday) to finishing it off with a world record, it's the most amazing experience and something I'll have forever," Phelps said. Whether swimming really changes or not isn?t the issue. It was Phelps' individual genius that was on display here, putting him in the discussion as the greatest Olympian of all time even as his career still has at least one more games to go. When it?s all said and done, he could wind up with 20 gold medals in his career, a haul almost too big to comprehend. That's Phelps, though, always looking for more, always wondering what else could be accomplished. By the time Lezak touched the pad here Sunday, the impossible had become possible. Phelps challenged the world, carried the weight of it on his shoulders and now, at last, Spitz's gold standard was gone. Victory and history in Beijing. "I'm at a loss for words," Phelps said. They gave him another medal, cranked up a final "Star-Spangled Banner" and as he looked over at his mother and sisters in the crowd he finally did something new. He broke down and cried.""" |
