I am really in an inflammatory mood and am going to say a couple of things on my mind.
First, regarding Speedo's sponsorship of Phelps three words come to mind that they might consider using in their next media blitz for selling suits to worshipers of the sport: Loser, poor sport and quitter.
Loser: in my mind, Phelps finished second in the 200 free but the average Joe sixpack will call that a loss. Hence, loser.
Poor Sport: it's been mentioned already in another thread that Phelps wouldn't even look at Biedermann after his loss. And we vilified Kitajima for his behavior? Hmmm.
Quitter: Bowman says he shouldn't swim until the suits are banned and Phelps says Bowman knows best. It's great to stick by your sponsor but shouldn't good ethical values trump your coaches view on occasion?
Second, regarding the 'great coaches' opinions: Schubert wants to place an asterisk by all records with the new suits. Bowman says it's all right to go back to 2007, before the LZR was introduced.
Doesn't that mean that all Phelps medals at Beijing are invalid? Or, at least, should have a star by the listing? How does Mark Spitz feel about that? What about Ian Thrope's comment that Phelps could never beat Spitz' record? Since Phelps is the Speedo poster boy for the LZR and, as noted elsewhere in the Forums, beat Crocker's record in a full body suit shouldn't he be ashamed?
My opinion of the whole lot has dropped tangibly. Personally, I'm ashamed to have cheered for Phelps during his career. He embarasses me...
I think Bowman is just trying to stick up for his swimmer(you are still the best Mike,no one can beat you in a "fair race.")I think he is trying to change the discussion from "Phelps got beat" to "these suits are unfair".I hope Phelps psych isn't so fragile that he can't take losing.
This is now a train wreck. It must be, because I'm reading a Craig Lord bluster-#$%^ and actually agreeing with it. It would have been better if Bowman had not opened his mouth today.
People are being way too hard on Phelps. He just suffered a stunning defeat from a competitor who dropped four seconds in one year. Going from 1:46.00 (Olympics - 5th place) to the fastest the world has ever known by a full second (1:42.0) is...unbelievable. Biedermann is not a 17 year old who is still growing. He is a grown man at 23. 4% improvements (Biedermann's rough percentage improvement) are not in the cards for most 23 year old men.
Furthermore, the nature of this defeat forces Phelps to completely re-evaluate every aspect of his race, and subsequently his training. Biedermann had an unbelievable final lap (25.7 to Phelps' 26.5), normally the strongest point of Phelps' race. If Phelps cannot depend on his final lap to catch and outlast his rivals, he can only hope to get so far ahead that Biedermann cannot catch him. Except...Biedermann beat Phelps on the opening 50 meters too, and then beat him quite badly in the final 50 meters. Bidermann's defeat of Phelps was total, and Phelps really has no place to go, strategically, to win. He just has to somehow pray he is capable of a 1:41, hope Bidermann doesn't improve significantly, or, more likely, hope that Biedermann's race was a product almost solely of the suit, which Biedermann will not be allowed to wear in 2010.
The knowledge of a loss that is probably attributable to a suit that Phelps was not wearing is a bitter defeat indeed. Yes, it would have been nice to see Phelps be more congratulatory after the race, but he is human like everyone else.
Phelps lost because of his time off and his suit's inferiority to the others also may have been a factor. It has, after all, been 4 years since he lost a race so it was probably hard for him to take, but it looked to me like he was a sport about it.
Biedermann acted like a true gentleman and champion.
After this fiasco, everyone, including Biederman want it to end.
Forget the asterisk.
At the end of the day, Speedo really dropped the ball. It is their fault for starting this mess, and now they're scrambling to play catch-up.
They got FINA to change the definition of allowable fabric to allow for these polyeurethyne suits during LZR development. One could argue that they timed this so that their LZR would be the only big thing at the Olympics while other companies scrambled to develop competitors to the LZR. These competitors came out in force post-Beijing, and came out with better products than Speedo.
What I want to know is why has Speedo neglected to develop and release a LZR 2.0 or equivalent? They had to know this arms race was coming after the uproar over the LZR's availability leading up to Beijing. With no answer to the B70, X-Glide and Jaked (anyone else notice how close to the phrase "jacked up" that company name is?), their athletes are stuck in the same way the Germans, et al. were stuck in Beijing.
Someone took their innovative idea and made it better. Capitalism at its best. Sorry, Speedo, but get your scientists out of hibernation and maybe one day soon, you'll again have the best suits in the pool.
My opinion of the whole lot has dropped tangibly. Personally, I'm ashamed to have cheered for Phelps during his career. He embarasses me...
I agree Mel. I commented on Rowdy Gaines' Facebook wall before the race that I hoped if Phelps lost to Biedermann he would take it like a man. I don't think he did and I don't think Bowman did. Biedermann swam the race of his life and these guys totally dissed his accomplishment. That sucks.
Phelps can so take a loss. He's been taking losses his entire career, and he's used them to make fuel for his wins. You better believe that man is ready and pumped for 2010, ready to whip everyone's ass when the suits go the way of the dodo. And last but not least, you better believe that man isn't going to take a half-year break this time either. :)
Go Mike.
I am really in an inflammatory mood and am going to say a couple of things on my mind.
First, regarding Speedo's sponsorship of Phelps three words come to mind that they might consider using in their next media blitz for selling suits to worshipers of the sport: Loser, poor sport and quitter.
Loser: in my mind, Phelps finished second in the 200 free but the average Joe sixpack will call that a loss. Hence, loser.
Poor Sport: it's been mentioned already in another thread that Phelps wouldn't even look at Biedermann after his loss. And we vilified Kitajima for his behavior? Hmmm.
Quitter: Bowman says he shouldn't swim until the suits are banned and Phelps says Bowman knows best. It's great to stick by your sponsor but shouldn't good ethical values trump your coaches view on occasion?
Second, regarding the 'great coaches' opinions: Schubert wants to place an asterisk by all records with the new suits. Bowman says it's all right to go back to 2007, before the LZR was introduced.
Doesn't that mean that all Phelps medals at Beijing are invalid? Or, at least, should have a star by the listing? How does Mark Spitz feel about that? What about Ian Thrope's comment that Phelps could never beat Spitz' record? Since Phelps is the Speedo poster boy for the LZR and, as noted elsewhere in the Forums, beat Crocker's record in a full body suit shouldn't he be ashamed?
My opinion of the whole lot has dropped tangibly. Personally, I'm ashamed to have cheered for Phelps during his career. He embarasses me...
Word!
Bowman doesn't sound too good, and I think it's all about Bowman (coaches are measured by their swimmers... Phelps gets beat and Bowman feels personally beaten). He then says it's unfair: it was Biedermann's suit. Hmmm, he said nothing about the advantage the LZR was supposed to give US swimmers at Beijing. He'll calm down I hope and realize that Phelps is simply not in his best shape. Phelps said it himself. Biedermann, graciously, said the same. I watched the Youtube of Phelps swimming the 200 in Beijing and he looked better, esp. off the walls...but hey, not much better...he was less than .3 slower in Rome. He swam really well. About what he might have expected after taking the 6 months off. Biedermann looks fantastic in Rome and he looked great too last year in the SCM 200 record swim provided by someone on the forum. To focus on the suits is to miss the obvious. Phelps the swimmer got beat by Biedermann the swimmer. And it is not unAmerican to lose a swimming race. I would have preferred Phelps show the grace Stephanie Rice showed when she saw how Kukors had blown away her world record in the semis of the 200 IM; she smiled (it looked genuine despite Rowdy Gaines saying it was "fake") and warmly congratulated Kukors. Anyone at that level, even at the Masters level, knows how much hard work goes into swimming fast, how much heart and guts and pain; if we can't admire that in a competitor when they beat us then we lose the joy of the sport.
I understand why pre-tech suit swimmers might not like them (Gould, Gross, etc.) but for elite swimmers today all the suits are available, so it is a level playing field for them. Why not accept the improvement in speed, glide, etc.? Somehow polevaulters were able to shift from bamboo to steel to fiberglass. Tennis players moved from wood to graphite. Does it ruin their sports? No. I think this move away from all tech suits will harm the sport and is an over-reaction; now it is compounded by Bowman's crybaby attitude that his "star" will refuse to swim until they ban all tech suits (again, does he forget his embrace of the LZR last year?).
I am enjoying watching the swimming. Some great swims. Felt badly for Peirsol but he handled it graciously as well. Let's enjoy the remaining swims. I am pulling for Phelps in both the 100 and 200 fly; hope he wins and gets a world record in both. If he loses it will be to a faster swimmer. We should be able to accept that too.
