Swimming

The British tabloid The News of the World is getting attention for its “scoop” that shows American swimmer Michael Phelps smoking pot at a party in Columbia, S.C., in November. The story was given a prominent link via red type on the Drudge Report. (Phelps has now apologized; see below) This is the astonishing picture […]

Ian Thorpe, the now chubby Australian swimming icon, grabbed his public megaphone and declared again today that he’s not gay. Thorpe again came out as not gay to address media speculation that he’s in more than a bromance with housemate Daniel Mendes after the two were photographed on holiday in Brazil. “In the past, on […]

In an interesting article on how Michael Phelps came to endorse the protein drink of a Texas start-up company, the Wall Street Journal tells us that Phelps has let himself go since winning eight golds in Beijing. Gone, for now, are the insane workouts that included massive amounts of swimming along with weight training. The […]

In all the deserved hoopla over Michael Phelps, another Olympic swimmer made some history in Beijing. American Natalie Coughlin won six medals this week to set a record for a woman. She also has won 11 medals in 11 career Olympic medals. I have always rooted for Coughlin since meeting her while covering a pre-Olympic […]

Australians take their swimming seriously. So when a less-than-fit looking Grant Hackett emerged from a Beijing open-water qualifier quite thick around the middle in May, it damaged their love affair with the two-time gold medalist in the 1,500-meter freestyle. This week, he’s been sluggish in the 400-meter freestyle, finishing sixth. His chance for redemption comes […]

I have watched the slow-motion replay a dozen times and still can't believe that Michael Phelps (top swimmer in photo) won the 100-meter butterfly, tying Mark Spitz with seven gold medals in one Games. Phelps beat Serbia's Milorad Cavic, by the smallest margin possible in the sport, .01 of a second. Cavic's Serb team filed […]

Like millions of of people, I stayed up last night to watch Michael Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones (photo) and Jason Lezak capture gold in the 4X100 freestyle relay. It was classic Olympics, from the come-from-behind win to the Phelps’ scream heard around the world. Phelps also provided one of the best images of the […]

A beard figured prominently in what German media are calling the country’s “debacle” so far in swimming. No German has come close to winning a medal, with even medal possibles failing to advance to the finals. Under a lot of criticism is backstroker Helge Meeuw, who failed to even make the finals of the 100 […]

Why athletes talk trash before an event has always been one of sport's great mysteries. All it ever seems to do is fire up an opponent and offer motivation. France's Alain Bernard learned this lesson, embarrassing himself before a worldwide TV audience watching the men's 4×100 freestyle swimming event. Why athletes talk trash before an […]

For the Olympic swimmers at least the choice is crystal clear: shave! Michael Phelps will no longer display his Fu Manchu style when he does the first for-real dive into the Water Cube pool today. Excess body hair, in any part of the body, would make the decisive difference, were it just a tiny fraction […]

Michael Phelps won his first gold medal in his first Olympics race, blowing away the field in the 400 IM and setting a world record in the process. Watching underwater video, it appears as if Phelps is half-fish the way his legs act like flippers. He is stunning to watch in the water and his […]

Having recently started a new training regimen myself, I am more aware now of the intensity of focus required to achieve extraordinary results in sports, or simply fitness. For those of you following yummy Michael Phelps' journey through China's Olympics this year, don't miss this excellent article in the New York Times about him. It […]