Perfect Conditions for Phelps, Perfectly Bad for Bolt
Aug 18th, 2008 by oriana
It is time for an Olympic update.
8 gold medals… Phelps himself admitted that everything had to fall perfectly in place to achieve this unimaginable feat. Everything, excluding his goggle problem in the 200 butterfly, did fall perfectly in place. Winning the 100 fly by 0.01 and great last relay legs by teammate Lezak in both 400m freestyle and 400 medley provided Phelps with those perfect conditions necessary to move ahead of Spitz in the record books. As demonstrated through a segment by NBC on the unusual size, shape and proportions of Phelps’ body, he is a man designed to excel at this sport.
Now there is Usain Bolt…
-Seventh-slowest reaction time out of the blocks in an eight-man race.
-Left shoelace was untied and dangling off this foot through the finish line.
-Pulled up 20 meters before the finish to celebrate and cruise through the line.
-Finished 0.20 of a second before the next man in the race and over 0.30 of a second before the bronze metal winner.
-He broke the three-year old world record twice in the last two and half months.
-Not considered his main event, Bolt only started racing the 100m 13 months ago.
-Many people say that Bolt’s height is not actually an advantage for him and his body figure, standing 6-foot-5, is not typical of Olympic 100m medalists.
-His 0.20 margin of victory matched the largest in Olympic 100 final over the last 40 years.
I believe in mind over matter. I believe in pushing the limits. I believe in giving athletes the benefit of the doubt. But somehow, I cannot wrap my mind around the phenomenon that occurred in the 100 meter finals. With all the disadvantages Bolt had before and during that race, he still managed to cruise through the finish line significantly ahead of the rest and make it look easy. What time would Bolt have run if he got out of the blocks first, had no untied shoes and not celebrated 20 meters early?
Everyone seems to go with the idea that Phelps is a unique species. He is one of a kind and his body literally proves it. His performances in this Olympics were amazing, but in a blink of an eye, three of those 8 gold medals could have easily turned to silver. There is still a human aspect that remains with Phelps and that everyday people can connect to. Bolt on the other hand is so beyond comprehension that he removes any sort of human characteristics from the equation.
August 18th, 2008 at 4:50 pm
i totally agree. this bolt guy is of another dimension. there is no comparable precedent even close, in any sport i’d argue, for what he did in that 100m final. on top of that, he looked like he couldn’t have been less bothered by the whole thing… just another day running at the track, posing and playing around right before his race like he’s working the crowd back home in jamaica.
if i’m his coach, here’s what we do: have him chop further the 100m WR down to lets say 9.56, break michael johnson’s 200m time, then give up both events to focus on the 400m and smash that record as well. it would be the single greatest sprinting feat in the history of man. oh yeah, and DON’T get busted for steroids.
August 21st, 2008 at 7:52 am
Update:
Bolt in the 200m… Pretty freakin’ amazing. 19.30 into a small headwind. At least this time he ran through the finish. This guy in unreal. Clean or not, I think my issue with him is the way he presents himself. Jacob, as you mentioned about his demeanor prior to the 100, he again was being a goof ball before the 200 final, as if he wasn’t about to go run the fastest time ever in the 200. Maybe that is just how he prepares, and if so, well I guess I have to accept it. I just wish he was a bit less in-your-face… but that’s asking a lot of a (young) man with the title “fastest man EVER.”
The USA has been a little bit of a disappointment this Olympics. We usually take the role as star of the show, but so many little things have thrown us off. Don’t know what it is this time around. More on this later…