https://community.usms.org/swimming/f/general/2472/spoiler---men-s-olympic-200-freeIan Thorpe wins the 200 free. Hoogie, the flying dutchmen, is second and Phelps is a close third in a new American record. Keller is fourth just ahead of Grant Hackett. First, congratulations to Ian Thorpe. Many questioned whether he was ready toen-USTelligent Community 12https://community.usms.org/thread/17540?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 18 Aug 2004 12:51:54 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:760b0a0b-bb32-4d40-8412-fe7c5703efbfFormer MemberOriginally posted by Bob McAdams Just for the record: Spitz did not win his record number of gold medals the first time he went to the Olympics. And, as I remember, he got into a little trouble at his first Olympics because he had truthfully answered the press&#39;s questions about how many medals he hoped to win, so every time he didn&#39;t win one of them, the press made it out to be a failure. Quite correct and that is the most relevant comparisons in terms of Olympic peformance. So we&#39;ll have to wait until 2008 to see if Phelps quest to top Spitz in one-time Olympic performance is a goal. However, the real measure of Spitz greatness is how he redefined speed in the fly. He was so far ahead of the competition in that event. I remember as a high school swimmer how we believed that fly would eventually become faster than crawl based on extrapolation from Spitz&#39;s performances in the lat 1960s. On that score Phelps is almost there. He has redefined the 200 im standard and this is the one event where he dominates the competition in a Spitz-like fashion. This is his signature event. His margin of victory in the 400 im is less, relatively speaking, but he still gaps the field--(perhaps over time he&#39;ll develop his breaststroke to eventually split a sub 1:10 and achieve a Spitz-like gap on the field). I also think it&#39;s likely that Phelps could focus on middle distance freestyle and ultimately break Thorpe&#39;s world records before the 2008 Olympic games. Having the current world records in six individual events (200/400 free; 100/200 fly and 200/400 im) would be a truly incredible accomplishment.<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17521?ContentTypeID=1Wed, 18 Aug 2004 06:15:58 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:e8e744a1-fc87-4d22-b743-cc7c019171b7Former MemberJust for the record: Spitz did not win his record number of gold medals the first time he went to the Olympics. And, as I remember, he got into a little trouble at his first Olympics because he had truthfully answered the press&#39;s questions about how many medals he hoped to win, so every time he didn&#39;t win one of them, the press made it out to be a failure.<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17473?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 17 Aug 2004 16:50:30 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:45c042fc-03d5-4352-a36a-b25091f33d81Former MemberThe media is just stupid to say that Phelps is swimming poorly. Spitz&#39;s had a given on the relays because the US in 1972 usually beat people by several seconds. Eight medals in one olympics in our sport is something and I think it may draw a little more interest to the sport.<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17428?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 17 Aug 2004 14:52:31 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:efb033b8-ba98-43ac-b7b6-823fab585963Former MemberThe chasing Spitz thing is definately media hype. Especially NBC - they needed story lines to hype the games for ratings. Fortunately for Phelps, the basketball teams struggles will take some of the spotlight off of his &quot;failure&quot;.<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17374?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 17 Aug 2004 14:23:37 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:fa417c32-18fc-49b3-8982-49991eefdf49Former MemberThe media has obvioulsy hyped the Spitz thing and I think we all realize that. Our local media in Athens last night kept talking about how poorly Phelps is swimming. Give me a break!<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17345?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 17 Aug 2004 13:43:50 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:39f05a34-b4c0-49d1-8627-799902ffeddcFormer MemberI think it&#39;s funny how everyone things that Phelps went there strictly to beat Spitz&#39;s record. Didn&#39;t you hear him before the Olympics and after he swam the 200? When they talked to him he said he only went there to win ONE and he did that. All this hype of Spitz&#39;s record is everyone else, not Phelps. He&#39;s just an amazing swimmer and it&#39;s in the back of his head I&#39;m sure but that&#39;s not his goal in the Olympics.<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17456?ContentTypeID=1Tue, 17 Aug 2004 11:11:42 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:52ee625c-9842-4898-a10b-cb3f0d1686f9Rob CopelandOur media sure seems to have a warped sense of success and failure: Phelps at 19 years of age – 2 Olympic individual final, 2 American Records (1 World Record), 2 personal bests, 2 Olympic medals. This is a world class success in my book. I wonder how many members of the media, reporting on this failure, have won Pulitzer’s for their first 2 published articles.<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17305?ContentTypeID=1Mon, 16 Aug 2004 10:16:46 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:61b8085c-42b7-4879-8949-4954976e0ffdFormer Memberhey, Phelps is 19 years old-he&#39;s got at least one more Olympics in him and who knows how much better he will get. I&#39;m with Alicat-I am LOVING these games! The races are fun to watch even if I already know the outcome because of the amazing performances. I got it on the radio on the way home today with NO SPOILER ALERT! :mad: Do you think because the radio station was owned by ABC instead of NBC that they deliberately spoiled my fun?<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17264?ContentTypeID=1Mon, 16 Aug 2004 09:33:58 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:e407cf78-b905-499b-b0bc-cd62b04b1d8fFormer MemberHoogie split a 22.25 on the 50 and went 46.79 for his 100 meter relay leg. That&#39;s incredibly fast.<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17228?ContentTypeID=1Mon, 16 Aug 2004 09:01:56 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:8b5b416a-b69e-46af-b5d5-c1fac87a330dFormer MemberFAILURE!!! Phelps&#39; dreams are CRUSHED, I tell you. What a loser, having to settle for a NEW AMERICAN RECORD! (Just kidding, of course.) Know what? If he comes home with, say, 4 golds, 2 silvers and two bronzes, will that really be such an awful haul from the 2004 olympics? After all, he can pick up another 8 in 2008. I have to tip my hat to Peter VdH. He has touched out Americans for silvers twice now. He&#39;ll probably win the 100 free too. Did you see his split in the 4x100?<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17332?ContentTypeID=1Mon, 16 Aug 2004 08:57:23 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:522aa9d6-9bcf-4bce-8446-e86ee8bac976mattsonThat&#39;s why I like Bob Costas as a sportscaster. In the same comment that Spitz&#39;s 7 golds as being out of reach (but Phelps still having a chance at 8 total medals), he pointed out that both of Phelps&#39; individual swims have been lifetime bests. Any reporter who uses &quot;disappointing&quot; and Phelps in the same sentence, should be made to swim the 200 fly and the 400 IM. :D<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17181?ContentTypeID=1Mon, 16 Aug 2004 08:35:02 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:8ad4efbb-cfd6-4ed7-81eb-4229157067d4Former MemberIt did say ***SPOILER***on the thread heading. :) I think the pressure is off of Phelps now. The million dollar Speedo bonus probably added to it all as well. But at the end of the day his time was pretty amazing considering this isn&#39;t considered one of his trademark events.<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17143?ContentTypeID=1Mon, 16 Aug 2004 06:26:36 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:5d301737-d412-4b36-8570-cd63c431fdbfFormer MemberHey, I for one am happy that it is over with the Spitz medel run. I rather watch all the swimmers strive for their best --the field is so tight in terms of talent --or should I wait till the drug test come back before making that statement? Not accusing anyone here... Ali<div style="clear:both;"></div>https://community.usms.org/thread/17106?ContentTypeID=1Mon, 16 Aug 2004 05:13:54 GMT3187ac58-ba85-4314-b79a-c45cd885e09a:5e2876d9-d518-4252-82de-4c8b30551b69Former Memberso much for waiting too see this on tv-guess i need to stay off this board for the week also-crap!<div style="clear:both;"></div>