GOLD RUSH

UNEDITED SAMPLE SPORTS ARTICLE
By Jose Mari Hall Lanuza
IV - Enrico Fermi


14 Olympic gold medals. 32 world records. His name etched in history books.

Michael Phelps.

He is arguably the greatest Olympian the world has ever seen. Winning 8 gold medals in the Olympic Games is something rarely seen by mankind, and Michael Phelps did so just a few days ago. He won the gold medal in every event he competed in, beating the record of Mark Spitz in the 1972 Munich Games with 8 gold medals whereas Spitz only had 7. From the individual medley relay to the butterfly, Phelps seemed unstoppable once he dove into the pool. This Baltimore lad who wears his cap backwards is now hailed as the greatest Olympian in history. But behind the gold medals, the world records and the swimming cap, who is Michael Phelps really?

From Humble Beginnings

Michael Fred Phelps was born in Maryland, just outside of Baltimore, on June 23, 1985 to Fred and Debbie Phelps. He has two sisters, Hilary and Whitney Phelps. His father was a state trooper for the Maryland State Police and his mother was a former teacher and now a middle school principal. His parents got divorced in 1994.

In his youth, Michael, whose nickname is “MP”, was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, a mental disorder that makes those diagnosed show various degrees of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness which caused many to assume that this was the reason behind Phelps’ swimming prowess. Michael and his siblings, however, got their athletic ability from their father. All three of them got into swimming at an early age. Michael tried swimming at the early age of seven. His sister Whitney had tried out for the Olympic team in 1996 but unfortunately was not qualified. This does not imply, however, that his sisters had not been of any help to Michael Phelps. Michael’s Olympic career never would have happened without his sisters. It was they who taught Michael how to swim, as well as the value and importance of hard work in his life.

During his teens, he was also diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. This is a genetic disorder of the connective tissue. People with this syndrome are often very tall with long limbs and fingers; oftentimes their arm span is longer than their height. Phelps has a height of around 193 cm, but his arm span is around 208 cm. Some people speculate that this might be the reason why Phelps is such a phenom in the pools. Eventually, medical tests have cleared him of Marfan syndrome but he is still advised to take annual check ups for the disease.

Between 2004 and 2008, Michael Phelps studied college in the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is taking up sports marketing and management.


Love At First Swim

Michael’s first swimming coach was Bob Bowman. He is a former University of Michigan head coach. He first saw Michael in the North Baltimore Aquatic Club at the Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center and saw his potential instantaneously. Phelps had to train there since his school had no pool. Bowman thought that Phelps was perfect for swimming, with his long limbs, big hands and big feet. It was here where his career started, competing at the age of 11. Since his school did not have a swim team, he continued to compete for the NBAC. His progress came very quickly, and the reward for all his hard work came when he qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics.

Just before reaching the age of 15, Michael had already broken many records and won many competitions. And he became an Olympic swimmer at the age of 15, making him the youngest swimmer ever to represent the U.S. He finished the year 2000 with high ranks, ranking 7th in the world in the 200-meter butterfly and 44th in the 400-meter individual medley.

Along with his many credentials, he has also been hailed as the World Swimmer of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007, as well as the American Swimmer of the Year in 2001, 2002, 2003, 3004, 2006, and 2007. In his career, he has won 48 medals; 40 of which are gold, six are silver and two are bronze. He is only second to gymnast Larissa Latynina when it comes to the number of Olympic medals won, with Latynina having 18 medals, and Phelps having 16.


Olympic Era

When the year 2004 came, Michael Phelps had already built a name for himself. What was next for him was the Olympic games in Athens. This was the next obstacle in his pursuit of success. He opened his Olympic career in true Phelps fashion, winning the gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley in record time. He won four more gold medals in the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, 4 x 200 freestyle race and 200-meter individual medley. His sixth gold medal came from his teammate Ian Crocker. Phelps gave his spot in the 4 x 100-meter medley race to Crocker because it was Crocker’s last opportunity to win a gold medal for himself. Crocker won, and gave Phelps and the rest of the U.S. team a gold medal, making Phelps finish the Olympic Games with 6 gold medals and two bronzes.

Following his Olympic victory, Phelps’ fame and good image was undercut when he was caught driving under the influence of alcohol when he was 19. He plead guilty, and was sentenced to 18 months probation, a $250 fine, a meeting against drunk driving sponsored by the Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) and public service in the form of speaking in schools against alcohol. His status dropped. His chance to be under the spotlight again came March 2007 in the Melbourne World Championships. He won all the seven events he competed in, breaking more records and setting personal bests.


Legendary

His next test, probably the hardest but most rewarding of all, was to compete in the Beijing Games in 2008. He won in all eight of the events he participated in; setting world records every time he jumped into the pool. In most races, Phelps finished more or less 2 seconds ahead of the other swimmers, and in one race, by a hundredth of a second. But arguably the greatest feat he did in the 2008 Summer Games was breaking Mark Spitz’s record of 7 gold medals. Phelps won 8 gold medals, and participated in more events than Mark Spitz, making him the most decorated Olympic swimmer of all time.

When asked about how he still manages to find the motivation and the strength to dive into the pool everyday in spite of his awards, Phelps said ”In the end, I am going to be the one who has to get up and stand up on the blocks and do what I want to do. Bob [Bowman] is not going to do that. He is helping me. I'm like, yes, I don't want to do this set but it's going to do something that will help me in the end and help me accomplish my goal so I'm going to suck it up and do it - sometimes it's like that“.

Before winning his 8 medals in the Olympics, he was asked as to whether he thinks of himself as the greatest American athlete of his time. His response? “It doesn't even go through my mind. I look up to who in my opinion is one of the greatest athletes of all time, Michael Jordan. I think that guy, what he did both on and off the court - it's something I've never seen or heard of. When I was really big into basketball and watching it all the time, he was the only reason why. Now if I watch it I'm watching LeBron [James]. LeBron's sick, too. That's who I think is one of the greatest. He so dominant in everything. Same with Tiger [Woods]. He's so dominant, too”. His newly-set records will probably stand for a long time, unless he breaks them again in London after four years.

Man or Machine?

A six-foot-four, 200 pound swimming demolition derby. Michael Phelps seems to have been born to swim, or at least that is what his physique indicates. Many of his physical attributes are at fault for making him the swimming superstar that he is today. These five attributes are: his long torso, his long arm span which is disproportionate to his height, his short legs, and his big feet.

Another secret to the success of Phelps is his diet. Do you think he is strict about what he eats? On the contrary, it seems as if he has no discipline when it comes to eating. Phelps consumes around 12,000 kilocalories a day, or at least six times the normal intake of a full-grown male. According to NBCOlympics.com, Phelps’ secret to victory is in his diet, which consists of: “a five-egg omelet, two cups of coffee, three fried egg sandwiches, three chocolate chip pancakes, French toast with powdered sugar, and, to top it all off, a bowl of grits” for his breakfast, and “two pounds of pasta, two ham and cheese sandwiches smothered in mayo, an entire pizza, and then he washes it down with 2,000 thousand calories worth of energy drinks” for the rest of the day. Talk about eating your heart out! And yet, he does not have any fat on his body, for his training regimen consists of a 5-hour-a-day, 6-days-a-week session. This answers why Michael Phelps can stuff himself with all the food he wants, and yet still be fit enough to win 8 gold medals in one Summer Olympics.

Michael Phelps has confirmed that his last Olympic participation will be after 4 years, in London. He said he did not want to compete beyond the age of thirty. When asked why, all he said was “I've never wanted to go beyond 30. I may go a few years beyond the Olympics. I said to my coach, 'Don't get any ideas because I don't want to compete beyond 30,' and he said, 'That's good because I don't want to coach you past the age of 30." With 14 Olympic gold medals already in hand, his next challenge will be the 2012 Olympic Games to be held in London, England, where it is reported that he will try to participate in new events.. His last Olympics. The next performance of his life, after his success in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Will it be a different ending for Michael Phelps? Or will it be his best Olympic performance ever? Another gold rush perhaps, Mr. Phelps?



REFERENCES:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Phelps
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Bowman_(coach)
www.jockbio.com/Bios/Phelps/Phelps_bio.html
http://vault.sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1144316/index.htm
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/olympics/2008/08/24/phelps.2012.ap/index.html
http://www.nbcolympics.com/wtvj/news/newsid=219672.html