IGX

I realize there may not be a lot of interest on this board, but this guy has been dominating especially considering his age. I was watching him talking to coaches and bystanders outside the pool, after he destroyed the field in the 200m medley, and realized he has an Avatar sized body. It's great to have the Olympics in the same time zone for a change.

The guy is amazing - maybe born to swim actually fits.

GOAT

the tv narrative is that he's now a good person, as well as an unbelievable swimmer. he still seems like a bit of a dick--perhaps that's simply the unalloyed competitive instinct--but his performance is otherworldly.

i think he attributes his resurgence to crossfit and a ketogenic diet.

climber511 wrote:The guy is amazing - maybe born to swim actually fits.

Absolutely. Short legs, long torso, long arms, big hands and feet. World level since early teens. He certainly has natural gifts.

dead man walking wrote:the tv narrative is that he's now a good person, as well as an unbelievable swimmer. he still seems like a bit of a dick--perhaps that's simply the unalloyed competitive instinct

Who knows? Not uncommon for swimmers to be a little socially awkward when on dry land (and I say that with love and from experience), and he's certainly not the first celebrity to have some issues.

I think he could absolutely swim in Tokyo, and while I think that would be awesomer than awesome, part of me hopes he finds purpose and fulfillment with his new family and a less consuming career. Might be hard for him to quit though...

Boris wrote:

dead man walking wrote:the tv narrative is that he's now a good person, as well as an unbelievable swimmer. he still seems like a bit of a dick--perhaps that's simply the unalloyed competitive instinct

Who knows? Not uncommon for swimmers to be a little socially awkward when on dry land (and I say that with love and from experience)

fair enough. it's unsurprising for a person to be exceptional in some field and socially awkward, as you say. i think i was reacting more to the nbc cosmetic narrative.

dead man walking wrote:

Boris wrote:

dead man walking wrote:the tv narrative is that he's now a good person, as well as an unbelievable swimmer. he still seems like a bit of a dick--perhaps that's simply the unalloyed competitive instinct

Who knows? Not uncommon for swimmers to be a little socially awkward when on dry land (and I say that with love and from experience)

fair enough. it's unsurprising for a person to be exceptional in some field and socially awkward, as you say. i think i was reacting more to the nbc cosmetic narrative.

It's all good on my end. I have no idea what he's like IRL.

I like him even more in that he seemed to bounce around, drink a bit too much, smoke some pot and get into trouble before he decided to 'come back'. I don't receive US news feeds but the 'getting your shit back together again' is a narrative I will always watch.

The only thing that makes me like him more than that are seeing how my most liberal friends seem to hate him - 'he carried the flag instead of the more deserving Muslim woman who nearly made it out of qualifying' or 'he dominated the headlines on the night a black woman also won' or simply 'attention to another cis white male'. Pure delight.

Protobuilder wrote: The only thing that makes me like him more than that are seeing how my most liberal friends seem to hate him - 'he carried the flag instead of the more deserving Muslim woman who nearly made it out of qualifying' or 'he dominated the headlines on the night a black woman also won' or simply 'attention to another cis white male'. Pure delight.

I hear my right-leaning friends saying this on FB, but I haven't heard one complaint about the flag bearer from anyone at all... zero.

My brother-in-law used to swim in the same club as him. It's literally normal people in one lane and Phelps putting in his laps in the next. We also live in the same neighborhood as him and frequent some of the same bars, but I've never met him. Word on the street is he's very awkward in person, has had trouble adjusting to a normal life after London and that's why he decided to compete again. He as no idea what to do with himself in the real world. Hopefully, the new kid while fill that particular void.

Great story! 31 year old, multi-discipline excellence and kicking ass clean vs doped up swimmers 10+ years his junior!

do you remember mark spitz? won a bushel of golds at munich in '72.

he's jewish and made some remark about how the local lampshades might be made from an aunt of his.

with their waterlogged brain, some swimmers can lack social graces.

dead man walking wrote: with their waterlogged brain, some swimmers can lack social graces.

Ala Seeahill

You get to that level, well, swimming is what you do all day. Your peers are also at a high level. That's who you talk to. Coaches and elite level athletes. That's why it's difficult to relate to folks who don't share your passion, your discipline, your single minded pursuit of the goal.

Hey Boris,
Do you coach swimming? Compete yourself? Where?

Yep. Just coaching high school right now.

Boris wrote:Yep. Just coaching high school right now.

do you coach through the summer at a club or whatever?

when my brother swam as a kid, it was the summer training that was brutal

Summer is intense, but I enjoy it a lot and getting to "just coach" is awesome - as an assistant coach (which I prefer), you sidestep a lot of drama and administrative work. That said, I quit coaching this summer with a club because the time commitment (i.e. time away from family, energy away from my day job) was getting to be too much. Maybe when I'm an empty nester...

And how about Simone Manuel-- one badass chick.

Boris wrote:

Protobuilder wrote: The only thing that makes me like him more than that are seeing how my most liberal friends seem to hate him - 'he carried the flag instead of the more deserving Muslim woman who nearly made it out of qualifying' or 'he dominated the headlines on the night a black woman also won' or simply 'attention to another cis white male'. Pure delight.

I hear my right-leaning friends saying this on FB, but I haven't heard one complaint about the flag bearer from anyone at all... zero.

Please. CNN was leading with an editorial that Phelps should cede it to her for a good 36-hours. She thought she deserved the honor of carrying the flag then complained about the plight of Muslim women in...the US...when interviewed after being eliminated. Hillary Clinton even got in on the action though a bit too late, as usual.

Every morning, I see Facebook posts complaining that Phelps shouldn't have been in the headlines when <another American athlete> won on the same day (or, simply competed in the female fencer's case). Identity politics suck and suck more than usual in competitions that are supposed to be politically and religious free.

He has been so fun to watch. Made for swimming, worked his ass off, did what was required to extend his career and appears to have his mental game zoned in. I don't believe we've seen an athlete this dialed in to dominate his competition since Tiger was fully on his game.

Protobuilder wrote: since Tiger.

another fine human

Protobuilder wrote:

Boris wrote:

Protobuilder wrote: The only thing that makes me like him more than that are seeing how my most liberal friends seem to hate him - 'he carried the flag instead of the more deserving Muslim woman who nearly made it out of qualifying' or 'he dominated the headlines on the night a black woman also won' or simply 'attention to another cis white male'. Pure delight.

I hear my right-leaning friends saying this on FB, but I haven't heard one complaint about the flag bearer from anyone at all... zero.

Please. CNN was leading with an editorial that Phelps should cede it to her for a good 36-hours. She thought she deserved the honor of carrying the flag then complained about the plight of Muslim women in...the US...when interviewed after being eliminated. Hillary Clinton even got in on the action though a bit too late, as usual.

Every morning, I see Facebook posts complaining that Phelps shouldn't have been in the headlines when <another American athlete> won on the same day (or, simply competed in the female fencer's case). Identity politics suck and suck more than usual in competitions that are supposed to be politically and religious free.

He has been so fun to watch. Made for swimming, worked his ass off, did what was required to extend his career and appears to have his mental game zoned in. I don't believe we've seen an athlete this dialed in to dominate his competition since Tiger was fully on his game.

Apparently I haven't made it clear that I'm a fan of swimming... I am...

I'm not saying griping doesn't exist about Phelps, just that I haven't heard it - not once (granted I'm not a regular CNN watcher). The only complaints I've heard is minor grumbling about his laughing on the podium and about Phelps grabbing headlines for his silver, while Ledecky swims for her third individual gold of the games + a new world record - and that (headlining for a silver over Ledecky) is a legitimate gripe imho.

Turdacious wrote:And how about Simone Manuel-- one badass chick.

It's a huge deal. I hear about it, of course, but it is an interesting to note that the media doesn't make a bigger deal out of it.

Is missy franklin done or will she come back?

kinda feel bad for her

I was watching Usain Bolt last night, and thinking the track events should be like swimming. The 100 yard "freestyle", following by 100 yard backward running, 100 yard side-hopping, 100 yard skipping, walking on your hands, etc. Then Bolt could have as many medals has Phelps.