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The Phelps kid's dream
Michael Phelps with each of his eight gold medals he won in Beijing. His aim was not just to win the eight golds, but to win each one with his personal-best time.
Photo: AP
Michael Phelps, a restless kid who found an outlet for his energy in the swimming pool, emerged from the Water Cube this week as the world's greatest Olympian.
The American, who won his unprecedented eight gold medals with seven world records and a personal-best performance that gave him victory by a fingertip, achieved a dream that first began even before he became the youngest person to break a swimming world record, at the age of 15.
"The reason why I was so emotional is that I have dreamed of a lot of things and written things down," Phelps, 23, said. "This was the biggest thing I have ever written down. Thinking of all the things I have done to get here, everything I have gone through."
Phelps' single-minded determination was as much his strength as his ideal swimmer's physique, says coach Bob Bowman.
Photo: AP
Prior to the Games, Phelps rarely discussed Mark Spitz's seven golds at one Games, allowing the media and sponsor Speedo's offer of a US$1 million bonus to whip up excitement over the possibility.
Phelps' goals were even greater – not only to win all eight of his Olympic events, five individual and three relays, but to do all with personal-best times.
He thought he had blown his chance late last year when he broke his wrist, but with the determination that coach Bob Bowman first detected when Phelps was 11, the swimmer doggedly worked through the injury to triumph.
While Bowman realised that Phelps' energy and will were valuable competitive assets, not everyone saw such potential.
"My mum and I still joke about the fact I had a middle-school teacher who said I would never be successful," said Phelps, who after his parents' divorce was brought up by his mother, Debbie, with his two older sisters Hilary and Whitney – also both swimmers.
Phelps reaches out to hug his mother Debbie and other relatives after the medal ceremony for men's 4x100-metre medley relay final.
Photo: AP
All three were in Beijing to share Phelps' triumph.
"I saw my mum for a minute and we hugged, she started crying, I started crying, my sister started crying," Phelps said.
Bowman knew early that Phelps could be a world-beater, but even he was surprised by how fast his student made his name at the top level, setting his first world record in 2001 in the 200m butterfly – a year after he finished fifth in the event in Sydney.
Bowman steered Phelps, then just 19, to an impressive six golds and two bronze in Athens.
And while Bowman has long said that Phelps' single-minded determination was as much his strength as his ideal swimmer's physique, even he was impressed by the maturity shown in Beijing.
"What impresses me the most is his comments in the press conference and how he expresses himself," Bowman said. "I have seen him swim some good meets and some fast times, but I think he has a better grasp of what this means to the world – not just the swimming world – and I think that is a great thing to see.
"He is a man now and has been through a lot of things. He has a really clear picture of who he is, why he is here and what he is doing."