Phelps Wins 8th Gold Medal, Breaks Tie with Spitz

[Hissyspit]

Source: Associated Press

Phelps wins 8th gold medal, breaks tie with Spitz
Sat Aug 16, 11:19 PM ET
BEIJING - Michael Phelps won his record eighth gold medal Sunday at the Beijing Olympics as a member of the victorious U.S. 400-meter medley relay team, breaking a tie with Mark Spitz for most golds in a single games.

Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Phelps and Jason Lezak won in a world-record of 3 minutes, 29.34 seconds, lowering the old mark of 3:30.68 set four years ago in Athens.

The U.S. swept the men's relays in Beijing, with Phelps leading off in the 400 and 800 free relays. Lezak anchored the 400 free to a narrow victory over France to preserve Phelps' historic bid.

Australia took the silver in 3:30.04.

Japan earned the bronze in 3:31.18

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080817/ap_on_sp_ol/oly_swm_men_s400_medley_relay

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Ceiling Cat sez CLICK HERE

[Zing Zing Zingbah]

1. Amazing. n/t

[bulloney]

2. It is an amazing feat.

However, the spin that I've heard several media use in reporting Phelps' feat is "over 100,000 athletes have competed in Olympic history, but only one person has won eight gold medals in one Olympic game."

Swimming is really the only sport in which that is possible. So, to belittle what the other Olympians accomplished because none of them won eight gold medals in one Olympiad is simplistic. But, I've come to expect this with our media.

[chelsea0011]

4. Thank you, for stating this. Phelps is awesome, but this is a sport

where pwople get to compete with the oddest strokes. Who the hell ever swims the butterfly at the beach or in a pool. I'm surprised they haven't come up with the side-stroke. Too much pool and I missed my favorite, the marathon (women's).

[Art_from_Ark]

27. Speaking for myself,

I would love to see a "dog-paddling" event

[maddogesq]

11. Our media has a poor sense of history.

I was a also-ran AAU swimmer in my early teens. The workouts are brutal. The condition of these swimmers is as good as it gets, but it’s not the only Olympic moment with great historical meaning. There are so many moments in the Olympics other than people winning medals. Some examples:

Nadia scoring the first perfect 10’s I ever saw in gymnastics.

The great Russian weightlifter Alexiev that used gardening as is getaway from training.

Frank Shorter really making the Marathon take hold in the U.S.

The U.S, beating the USSR in hockey, a feat that was considered impossible.

Mark Spitz, who said recently he felt snubbed because he was not invited by NBC to Beijing be a commentator. When he won his seven medals, those races were not as close as the ones Phelps was involved in. The training and condition of swimmers is much more evenly matched these days, despite the dominance of the U.S. in the sport.

I am very proud of the way Phelps handles himself. I wish some of our current leaders had that kind of class.

I am fortunate that I get to watch some of this on CBC, as I live in Detroit area. They root for Canadians, but thei coverage is very thorough and informative. Our media could take a lesson…big time.

[TomInTib]

14. F**k Spitz

I spent the better part of a week next to the arrogant little prick at the National Pool and Spa Show in Atlantic City.

He was endorsing a tether that would allow one to swim in place, a create-your-own-lap-pool type of device.

The guy was actually wearing his damned medals. I acted as if I had never heard of him and, at one point, asked him if he had acquired his medals at a pawn shop.

The guy has the personality of a scorpion (and that's putting it nicely, no disrespect to scorpions).

[Arugula Latte]

16. OMG ... pawn shop?

:spray:

Oh, that was mean, mean, mean. But damn funny, too. :rofl:

[zonkers]

18. Spitz reminds me of ex NBA great Rick Barry. They both have the resume but for some reason their

personalities are the deal breaker.

[TomInTib]

19. Funny that you should mention Barry...

I used to work with the Houston, Texas, chapter of Special Olympics.

Barry used to volunteer a good bit of his time to the effort, probably in an attempt to rehabilitate his image.

Whenever he entered a room, it felt like someone had just walked out.

[Morrisons Ghost]

23. Was

Mark Germino there as well?

[Name removed]

26. Deleted sub-thread

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[ileus]

3. It's a great time to be American

[Xenotime]

15. It's just pure greed to me.

I would imagine he has a better chemist than everyone else.

[tchunter]

5. USA! USA! USA! USA! USA!

go phelps! to paraphrase Colbert: we need those gold medals so we can melt them down and use them to buy back our economy from the chinese

[Honeycombe8]

6. It was thrilling! An exhilerating race! What an amazing athlete. I felt sorry for the other guys

on the relay team. During the playing of the anthem where they presented the gold, the camera was in close-up on Phelps' face. You wouldn't have even known there were 3 other guys standing on that podium. Then afterwards, the camera followed Phelps around, and the media was only interested in talking to Phelps.

I understand the 8 gold record that Phelps won. Just sayin'...that sucks for the other 3 guys who also won the gold for the relay race. They were part of the reason that Phelps won that eighth gold, too.

Also a pity that one of the first things people think of, when someone wins the gold....did they take performance enhancing drugs? Sign of the times.

Still...it was a thrilling night. I was on the edge of my seat, mentally trying to push the U.S. relay team to go faster and faster. I guess it worked! Viva USA!

[connecticut yankee]

7. But Phelps

was gracious during the interview and gave credit to his three teammates. He said he could not have won the three relay events without them.

I find him to be a modest, unpretentious young man. I also can feel the pride his mother has in him. She radiates it, and it really affects me. I cried along with her when he won the last gold medal, and when he went to her and gave her the bouquet and kissed her.

Maybe you have to be a mother to understand.

[Honeycombe8]

9. I know, I know. Credit where credit is due. But notice, your post did not mention

the hard work, the excellence, and the sacrifices of the other 3 young men (all of whom presumably have mothers who are equally as proud of them as Phelps' mother is...only those mothers didn't have closeup cameras on them showing their tears).

Phelps is awesome. But if you had been the mother of one of the other guys, I can imagine your dismay in not seeing your son's face at all during the playing of the national anthem while he receives his gold medal. The other 3 guys had a good attitude about it.

I just noticed is all.

No, you don't have to be a mother to understand how the mothers of the other 3 must've felt.

[connecticut yankee]

24. But that wasn't Phelps' fault

He didn't direct the cameraman. Blame it on NBC if you must cast blame at all. They probably felt he was the biggest draw.

[rainbow4321]

8. Yeah I noticed that, too.

Not a single shot of the other swimmers while the music was playing. At all. Just an extreme closeup of Phelps' face for the whole song.
3 out of the 8 of his gold medals came from TEAM relays. Without his team, he could have been 5 of 8 instead of 8 of 8.

Poor decision on NBC's part. The other 3 swimmers' families/friends deserved to see their family member/friend during the award ceremony, also.

[PfcHammer]

10. WGAS

believe it or not, other countries are participating
and other people are participating. the US goes to the
olympics so its pros can clean up, stick it in everyone's
face, and cash in.

[Catch22Dem]

12. FYI, the Soviet Bloc countries were sending pros to the Olympics before we were

Just saying. Besides, when it comes to the Winter Games, we're always third or fourth in the medal count. Sorry, but I think your depiction of the games is inaccurate.

[Thothmes]

25. Not only pros, but some of dubious sex.

[Psephos]

20. Sour milk for dinner?

Some people aren't happy unless they're unhappy.

[Regret My New Name]

13. How arrogant and rude. Can't Americans share anything?

:P

[tuckessee]

17. Dangnabbitt!!!!! Where's the spoiler alert?????

I recorded the relay and planned on watching it 30 or so years from now when I finally retire.

I was really looking forward to it but NOW YOU"VE RUINED THE REST OF MY FREAKIN' LIFE!

:-)

[Psephos]

22. lol n/t

[truthisfreedom]

21. Obviously the moustache slowed Mark down. 8^P

What an amazing athlete!

[riskpeace]

28. Phelps is a phenomenon

As a North Baltimore Aquatic Club and Michigan Swimming alumni, I'm happy to give this one its long-overdue first recommendation.

In my biased opinion, Michael is the best athlete in history. I think the more you know about swimming at that level, the more remarkable his achievement is.