Evolution of Homo Aquaticus
And so it came to pass.
I won’t be getting into too much detail here. We all know the numbers by now. It’s all over cable, radio, print media and the internet anyway. Besides, this is my second post in less than 24 hours on the man of the moment and perhaps, if I may hazard a guess, the 21st century.
My, my, to achieve so much at such a young age. People his age would normally be working 8 to 5, looking forward to weekend parties and staying out till the early morning hours, their careers just beginning to take shape and pick up speed. At 23, Phelps’ path is well defined and running at near-terminal velocity – light years ahead of the rest. At 23, The only Olympic record he has not broken is the career medal haul of Larissa Latynina whch stands at 18 – and he still has a good one or two Olympic games left in him.
Phelps is to sports what Albert Einstein is to Physics, Mozart is to classical music, or Genghis Khan is to warfare. He stands alone in his chosen field and it’s hard to imagine someone coming along who can surpass his superhuman achievements in Beijing. He may not be a good chess player but in swimming he almost wins at will. He may not be gifted intellectually but he stands at the frontier of what man can achieve physically.
Wikipedia states that Phelps’ unusual physique gives him a distinct swimming advantage: elongated torso and relatively short legs that minimize drag, wide wing span and big, size 14 feet that maximize thrust under water plus double-jointed ankles that can bend further than a ballet dance’s pointe, allowing for superior “whipping” through the water.
If a branch of mankind should one day evolve to live in the world’s waters, I’m pretty sure Michael Phelps’ genes would be the evolutionary “missing link” in the fossil record. He might as well represent an entirely new species (hmmm, Homo Aquaticus?). See, his physical features are so adapted to efficient water propulsion that all you need to do is add gills and he’ll leave Aquaman huffing and puffing behind.
Evidently he put his physique to good albeit record-breaking use. Winning more Golds than everyone else is definitely a testament to one’s prowess but it’s nothing compared to breaking a World Record. See, you can win as many gold medals as you can and not break a single record. Usain Bolt could’ve ran the century at a sub-record speed of 9.88 and still go home with the gold (it’s good he clocked in at a record 9.69 though – sweet). Breaking a record in the process of beating your rivals is like dunking the basketball when you can just shoot from the perimeter, or masseing the 9-ball when you can just shoot it straight to the corner pocket. It adds a special oomph to the victory.
I mean, when you’ve beaten everybody else and you’ve ended up besting your own record, you’re not just redefining yourself and pushing your limits. You’re pushing the limits of what the human race can achieve. It’s not about color, creed or nationality anymore. It’s about going where no man has ever gone before. By smashing the 7 world swimming records in a span of 7 days, Phelps shows that we haven’t reached our water speed limit yet, and that it’s possible to break them in such a dominating manner.
Still at 23, Phelps is young and can get even faster if he continues the strict, almost monastic discipline and training regimen that gave him Olympic immortality for ages to come. After what he had just done, I can’t blame him if he takes a month off from the pool, although that would be close to unimaginable.
I know that today is a great day to be an American but today is also a great day to be alive and watching the games unfold because of Michael Phelps. I’m not American but I’m really proud of this guy and his overpowering performance. What’s next for the Baltimore Bullet? Perhaps the 400 medley in under 4 minutes?
Impossible? We all heard that before.:)
Michael Phelps is a super-human-swimming-machine! I’ve heard local newscasters (and read in the local newspaper) that he was already the most “medaled” athlete in Olympic history but I read in your post that he still has to beat Latinina? Perhaps I misunderstood what I’ve heard thus far … perhaps they were referring to swimming only? Nonetheless, winning the most GOLD medals in a single Olympics is still super-human!
In terms of all time Olympic career medals won (14 gold, 2 bronze) Phelps’ 16 medal haul in 2004 and 2008 runs second to Latynina’s 18 (nine gold medals, five silver and four bronze) spread over 3 Olympic Games. Had there been 3 more medal events to swim in in Beijing, I’m sure Phelps would’ve broken her long-standing record as well.
Indeed, with more golds in one Olympics and his entire career than anyone else, this guy is more than human. One soviet swimmer reportedly said “Phelps is not from this planet, and his planet is in another galaxy.”
thanks for dropping by:D and sorry for the spelling…it should’ve read as Larissa Latynina, not Laryssa Latinina…my bad.
Michael Phelps is, without a doubt, the face of his sport just like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, Brett Favre, Roger Federer and Babe Ruth. However, for all that he accomplished in this years Olympic games, I still don’t think he ranks in the top 5 all-time Olympians.
Here is my TOP 5 All-Time Olympians:
http://kowalkerjourney.com/2008/08/17/michael-phelps-greatest-olympian/
Hi Erik,
Thanks for dropping by my post. I just read yours and I mus admit, like Kelly, I’m also guilty of “hyperventilating” over Michael Phelps (lol) but I think for good reason: He managed to achieve his 14 gold medal tally in just two Olympic Games, counting out the 2000 Olympiad which he joined as a 15-year old. It’s not just the number of the medals won. It’s precisely the speed with which he acquired him that sets him apart from the rest.
Carl Lewis needed 4 Olympic Games 1984-1996 to amass 9 golds, and two of those golds were now questionable following revelations of failed drug tests prior to the 1988 Seoul Olympics (source: Wikipedia)
Paavo Nurmi needed 3 consecutive Olympic games to amass 9 golds…and he only won one in his last Olympic participation (1928), casting serious doubt on his capacity to win the 1932 Games (had he been allowed to join).
All the other super-athletes you mentioned will make it to my list in a slightly different order but one thing remains the same: all of them needed to win in at least 3 Olympic games just to reach 9 or 8 golds. Something Phelps was able to surpass by winning in just two. In terms of long-term record, Phelps has 3 Olympics under his belt although he did not win in his first (his highest rank was 5th in one of the events). The kid just started early but he’s a veteran by any measure.
In terms of longevity and staying power however, I would agree with you that Birgit Fischer-Schmidt is way up there. I’d even go so far as place her in the no 2 spot after Phelps. No. 2 only because I believe that the ability to win abd break records is a better measure of greatness than the ability to compete.
The fact that swimming is more forgiving than say, track and field or gymnastics is out of the question as well because every sport is physically punishing – and difficult to some extent (except chess, perhaps). Golf is not as physically punishing as swimming the 400 meter individual medley but most experts agree it is one of the most difficult sports in the world. Every sport is relatively difficult so its the winning factor that really counts in my opinion
Correction: I said MY top 5 All Time Olympians. I should have said HIS (the L.A. Times writers Philip Hersh’s) top 5. My bad.