It Phelps if you're a swimmer
The Michael Phelps rollercoaster carries on, with some odd little sideshows dotted around the place.
The Yanks have managed to set up this Games's schedule to suit him down to the deep end, and he's cashing in. It's safe to say the bloke is the greatest swimmer in Olympic history - but I'm not sure you can take swimming all that seriously on one level.
There's not another sport where you can win so many medals for getting from a start to a finish in as many different ways as possible. It's always struck me as bonkers.
Phelps is good at the freestyle, right? Now, it's called "freestyle" cos you're free to swim any way you want. So, how come no one swims breaststroke or backstroke or butterfly?
Well, cos that would mean you'd be going too slow to win.
Now, if you're not as fast as Phelps over 200 metres then don't worry. You might be able to beat him if you both try to swim slower!
That's right, make him do a bobbing up and down action and you could beat him at slow swimming (or breaststroke as they call it). Does anyone else think this is barmy?
Even more ludicrous is that there is a butterfly competition at all. Apparently, it was originally a rule-bending breaststroke and then they made it an event in its own right in 1956.
It's the hardest one to learn because no one in their right mind would ever imagine swimming that way unless they were disguising themselves as a sea lion for the purposes of some potty BBC wildlife programme.
Brilliantly, though, once you've got four distinct but not necessarily fast ways of getting from one end to another you can make up an event that includes all four of them and call it a medley. And the medley makes the likes of Phelps even more medally, if you get my meaning.
Now, I'm sure there are dedicated people up and down this country and across the world who'll argue that these different strokes are very distinct from one another and require different techniques and blah-bluh-bluh-blah-blah-blah!
But why in God's name have a swimming race which demands you go slower than you actually could do?
Transpose this to athletics and there's all sorts of events that should be included: running backwards; the 100 metres hop; the all-fours steeplechase; the forward rolling 1500m. Then of course you can mix them all up into a weird medley and get some more medals to give away.
Actually, athletics does have its potty exception - the walk. Everyone knows a bunch of blokes wiggling their backsides away for 50km like someone's left a toffee in their gussets is just plain lunacy.
The only excuse for walking quickly is cos you're in a school corridor carrying scissors and the headmaster's told you not to run.
In fact, what's wrong with the sack race or the egg and spoon race, except for the fact that they'll be sports designers eager to refine and redesign the perfect sack and it'll be come a logo-loaded bag and not the hessian piece of threadbare cack it should be?
And can you imagine the wind tunnel tests that'll be done to find the most aerodynamic egg? Maybe we'll pass on them - but there's got to be a case for the three-legged race hasn't there?
Swimming has simply made up a load of events which means that there are bound to be exceptional talents like Phelps who look like they're the greatest ever cos they leave the Olympics looking like they've been rooting around in a gangsta rapper's jewellery box for the past week.
Fact is, the likes of Redgrave, Al Oerter and Carl Lewis have achieved just as much, it's just that Sir Steve couldn't wangle a pedalo pairs event out of the IOC or he and Pinsent would be out of sight by now.
And Oerter wasn't taken seriously when he asked if he could have one gold medal for chucking his discus after spinning (rotational discus), one gold medal for chucking it back over his head (reverse discus), one for throwing it from his teeth (gobby-style discus) and another one for choosing which one out of the previous three he preferred (freestyle discus).
Swimming races should be over set distances and it should all be freestyle. If that means you've got some freak of nature who can doggy-paddle faster than the British cycling team with their lycra on fire than it's fair play to him. In fact, why have the IOC overlooked the doggy-paddle - it's scandalous.
In short, a swimming race is everyone jump in and the first to the other end wins, regardless of how you get there.
Now some of you will be thinking I'm getting at medallion man Phelps, but I'm not. If they took out all the butterflies and medleys, he'd still have a neckful of bling and he'd still have ordinary mortals gasping at him, especially that incredible underwater wriggle he does that makes your average emperor penguin look like a lump of concrete.
Maybe in London 2012 we can invent some new events that we're guaranteed to be best at (until we teach it to the rest of the Commonwealth and then that'll be that).
Actually, we don't need to invent them. Welly-wanging, cheese-rolling, shove ha'penny, bar billiards... bring on the medals for Team GB.
In the meantime, we will enjoy Phelps's achievements, but greatest Olympian ever? Difficult to say, but he's definitely the most exciting thing to come out of the water since Ursula Andress.
I'm Derek Robson. People call me Robbo. Legend has it I was raised in the furnace and smog of Teesside. Some might say I took the hard road. I like to tell folk I had trials for Middlesbrough, for Hartlepool and for burglary (not guilty). I've always loved sport. My job is to say it as I see it - whether it's in the bar of the Blue Bell or on this blog. You won't find me calling a spade a soil-redistribution implement.
© MMIX~RS~q~RS~~RS~z~RS~02~RS~)
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It always confounds me why the IOC continuously overlook the spinning round a stick 8 times and then attempting an assault course sport that I understnd is most popular in the orient and at Chris Tarrant's house.
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A laboured attempt at humour. Why have any other style save freestyle, you ask, since they are slower ways of getting from A to B. By this logic, why have bunkers in golf? Why have defenders in football, since it would be easier to score without them? Why have hurdles in the 110m hurdles race? Why make a marathon 26 miles, why not make it 10 metres? That would surely make it quicker and easier to get to. The list could go on, but I imagine you get the point. You clearly don't swim yourself, or you would know that each style requires very different technique and power.
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Now then, pet. You miss the point. Swimming is about getting from one end of a pool to another - or a few times back and forth if you can be bothered. Now your comparisons are silly. If we went down the swimming route you'd be having a crazy golf tournament alongside the proper one. All the sports you mention are freestyle if you like. You don't have one footy tournament where you can only play route one, another one where you play fly keepers, etc. A 110 m hurdles is always the same for everyone - if it were up to you gold-hungry guppies, there'd be a 100m sprint after followed by 100 m of forward rolls and then some bunny hops for 90 more and you'd call that a race n all.
I'm sure each stroke requires different techniques but that's no reason to include them all. I'm sure running backwards has a very tricky set of techniques to get right if you want to be good at it but I'd rather not dangle a gong round some bloke's neck for it. It'd make more sense then the butterfly, mind.
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I agree with the absurdity of so many different strokes--albeit they are different, but as you point out, there are many ways to traverse 100m on land--including walking on your hands if you like.
That said, I can not deny that what Mr. Phelps is doing is phenominal--to master the different strokes, and over two Olympics of going against world class swimmers and beating all comers, it is an incredible acheivment. I would also note that since this is the way it's set up, he (and others) train for it. I would honestly say that if they took out the other strokes, made everything freestyle, perhaps we'd see more even more impressive results and world records as the swimmers could concentrate on one stroke--as runners concentrate on one way of running.
50, 200, 400, 1500 m freestyles (and relays) would still allow an excellent swimmer multiple chances at glory.
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Welsh Unarmed Hitting is a must for 2012.
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Great article, hilarious...and to all those swim fanatics lining up to slate it, don't take it so seriously! its only sport after all....
One thing I want to know is why world records are being broken left, right and centre in the pool sometimes by 2 or 3 seconds (and not just Phelps) just curious as there would never be this number of WRs on the track.
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"In the meantime, we will enjoy Phelps's achievements, but greatest Olympian ever? Difficult to say, but he's definitely the most exciting thing to come out of the water since Ursula Andress. "
Ah, the sexy ending: I'm sure you also considered writing: ", but he's definitely the most exciting thing to come out of the water since the Creature from the Black Lagoon."
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Four by one hundred individual medley pussycat throwing event!
“Isn’t that painful?”
“Not if you keep your hands away from their claws and teeth.”
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Another seriously boring and failed attempt at humor. Go back to a more serious style, and maybe you won't get so much negative press.
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Yet again robbo continues to embarrass himself by continuing to miss the mark again with his awful attempts at forced humour. It's not funny when you say it mate, get over it, this poor attempt of cheerful northern mockery.
While we're sorting out all these swimming events then robbo, what about the field events? Discus, javelin, shotput, it's all just throwing something really isn't it? Pointless, let's just chuck a tennis ball down the field. Long AND triple jump, well that's just not right is it?
And I agree with the comment above, the hurdles events...well they just slow you down getting from a-b don't they? Absolute waste of time, when has a 400m runner ever done it slower than a 400m hurdler? And while we're slagging off the medley in swimming, isn't that just the swimming version of decathlon? So from your useless viewpoint, won't decathlon simply be for people who aren't quite good enough at any of the events individually. The 20km walk?!?!?! Just run idiots.
And then gymnastics?! The chance to win around 9 medals from one qualifying event?! Ridiculous.
No.
The fact is Robbo, maybe Michael Phelps isn't the greatest Olympian of all time simply because he has won so many medals, all that does is make him the most decorated athlete. But greatest Olympian is completely subjective, we'll all have different viewpoints, but the amount of swimming events should not be the basis of discounting this phenomenal athlete's achievements and his claim to be one of the greatest Olympian's we have seen.
As the great man Carl Lewis said himself If Carl Lewis ruled the first 100 years of Olympics, then Phelps has just set the bar for the second 100. The fact that he has one so many medals does, lets face it (whilst keeping inmind the amount of events available to him) put him up there with the likes of Redgrave, Lewis, Spitz, Owens, Omaneci, Ali, Johnson, Nurmi, Latynina, FIscher etc.
Training for such completely different events over such completely different distances is extremely difficult, especially since every event will have thousands of athletes out there focusing solely on that one distance in one event, so to be able to transcend the events and distances as Phelps has done is unspeakably difficult. Simply look at how few people do "The Double" in any one stroke.
And with people asking why there are so many WR's, it is simply a result of technology, yes the suit is making that much of a difference, and swimmers now having the funding and support to train to the level track athlete's have been able to for years, no longer needing to work, so can train like absolute beasts.. Simply look at how few WR's there were in the 90's, barely any, but now we are seeing a total windfall, of generally 2% (the ammount that speedo say their new suits improve performance by)
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Interesting article indeed, have just read through all the comments, a mixed bunch have to say but heres the truth.
Firstly i am a swimmer and to clarify to some readers we dont take the article too seriously as all swimmers who read this understand it was OBVIOUSELY written by a non-swimmer and would love to get any person who thinks this article is great into the pool for a quick taster, doubt they would last.
Secondly a valid point about why not have one race, the freestyle, get to one end the quickest, job done. But a very boring valid point. If you have experianed competitive swimming and training you will understand that it is unlikely that you will be super fantastic at all strokes, (i.e) some people are better at some strokes that others, therefor possibly being better in the world that others. Michael phelps isnt the fastest 200m breatroker in the world but its a slower stroke, so that that kills that point of the article. the four strokes exist to show the human race is different and versatile, if you had it your way, olympics would be pretty boring.
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While I do not think this article is funny (and I think Robbo is an incredibly funny guy), Robbo has a valid point. There are way too many medals given out in swimming.
I will not go down the route of why there are so many strokes and so many distances. All I am saying is that as of miday thru Aug-15, USA has won 26 medals in swimming 10 of which are gold. That is a hell of a lot of medals. And there is some more swimming to come. The same with Athletics. There are going to be a slew of races and distances that the Americans are going to dominate. At least with athletics, it takes some skill to throw a javelin as opposed to throwing a shot put or doing a high jump, so I wouldnt complain as much. Swimming is well, just swimming in water. All these medleys and relays over various distances are nice medal winning chances, and nothing more.
Taking nothing away from Phelps. It takes a lot to be competitive in so many events over 2 Olympics and I admire the guy's determination. Swimming is a sport where you'll hardly find folks over 25 competing. Look at how Thorpe's retired from his career at such a young age.
As for how there have been so many world records, check this out: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/7558622.stm. This is totally stupid. I'm sure people will turn out in costumes for the Athletics as well, which give them a huge advantage.
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Nightrider you seriously need to pop down to your local swimming club and see if they just swim in water...Good luck with that and bless you for thinking its so easy just because phelps makes it look that way.
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Funniest i've read in a long time.
Found the blog just by chance and well worth the read.
Robbo your a genius
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nice one Robba! keep up the good work son!!
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I'm sorry but this is the most disrespectful blog I have ever read!
Not only am I a swimmer myself but I also teach it. Every person is designed differently and their ability to learn to swim varies greatly, some people are unable to do alternating strokes at first (freestyle and backstroke) where as some can, but cannot to do simultaneous strokes (breastroke and butterfly). Once the person establishes what stroke they are good at, they develop it to the best of their ability. This is the same as Football, where a natural born striker will develop its skills to help them in their position, with them concentrating less on their defensive and goalkeeping skills.
To be able to perform all these strokes perfectly and powerfully is very hard and takes a tremendous amount of dedication and patience. Michael Phelps admitted that he isn't the best breastroker so he doesn't race in the breastroke events. But how well he's developed it for his IM is amazing and inspiring for us swimmers.
His genetic makeup has also influenced what type of distance events he does. He covers mostly middle distance events (200 and 400m). Im sure he could do a brilliant 50m, 800m or 1500m time, but his body is not specifically designed to be a true "out and out" sprinter, or a distance swimmer, so therefore he doesn't race in them events and set world records in them. Liam Tancock is the WR holder in the 50m backstroke and I was lucky enough to watch him do it. He knows he is a 50m specialist and it showed in the 100m backstroke this Olympics, where he went out 1/2 second under the WR pace at 50m but was unable to hold on.
I could go on for ever about the dribble of a "blog" you call this. For a BBC sports writer, you should be ashamed for not only demeaning a sport, but insulting all us athletes who train so much to perfect the sport we love.
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Shame on the BBC for wasting public money to pay for some half-wit to write such trivial and ill informed rubbish. It's not funny, it's certainly not clever and if we're going to be taxed to pay for this kind of thing then I think it's time to start objecting formally to the tv license.
I've no idea who this Robbo person is, but they clearly haven't got the first clue about competitive sport and I find it hard to credit that they've managed to con their way into a position of being paid to comment on the Olympics.
I think the sports editor should explain themselves - this comment piece isn't worthy of a school newspaper rant column and should have been binned before they'd finished reading it.
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The people objecting to this comment have got it all wrong. This is not disrespectful, it is a perfectly valid view on the nature of competitive swimming. No other sport has such a variety of ways of doing essentially the same thing - covering a distance in water. The poster who claims it is the same as athletics, which has different distances, is overlooking the fact that swimming does also, but it has the added element of the variety of strokes.
Yes, swimming any stroke competitively is tough and yes, people are built differently, so surely the same is true out of the water. However, athletics does not cater for four different ways of covering a distance. At most there are two (hurdles in some distances). So, it is not unreasonable to suggest that athletics should include backwards running to be on a par with swimming. This would be very physically demanding and would suit some better than others. However, this is not considered because it would dilute the essence of the sport - covering a distance as fast as possible. Swimming is not as impressive because the variety of strokes dilutes the purity of the endeavour.
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What a load of rubish.
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hello robbo,
normally i agree with everything you say, mate, but in this instance i think you're not only totally wrong, but also really disrespectful. the excitement and skill of swimming comes from the variation in disciplines and lengths..... to make it a straight swim over a distance would be the same as taking out any impedement in every other sport. ie corners on a formula 1 track, hazards on a golf course etc.
you've really missed the mark on this one..stick to writing about football chairmen and michael vaughn's hair.
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Taking nothing away from Phelps I think the average guy watching the Olympics feels patronised by the media telling us that Phelps is the "greatest Olympian of all time".
This comparison between sports seems absurd considering the number of medals available in swimming. Robbo is trying to put Phelps phenominal accompishments in some kind of context. He is the greatest swimmer in the modern era. He has won more gold medals than anybody else.
If somehow you could have "silly" running events so there were more medals in athletics the hysteria from Olympics coverage would be more bearable.
They had an event in the ancient Olympics where they ran in a full suit of armour...
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Hi Robbo,
I'm torn on this one, think it's very interesting. I think swimming's comparable with gymnastics, but track and field is probably more difficult. Having said that, if there was an exceptional athlete who could run 400m as well as they ran 100m, then in theory they could earn at least 5 golds (100, 200, 400, 4x100 and 4x400), punishing though it would be, and a similarly exceptional rower could win in plenty of different disciplines of rowing. But they would be exceptional and I think that's the key - amazing swimmers are pretty rare, so it's not that there's a Phelps every generation.
Having said all that, I think there are too many idiots posting on here with unrealistic comparisons. A 100m backwards race is a suitable comparison, where a football match without defenders isn't. The article's not disrespectful, at the very worst it's naive, but I wouldn't say it's even that - it's an opinion about sport in a sport blog. Robbo's extremely valid point is that no other Olympic sport dictates what technique you must employ to achieve something, and then has a parallel event to achieve the same thing with different technique. If you want to high jump belly down, you can. If you want to throw the javelin underarm, you can. Breast stroke is patently slower than the other strokes, so why is it even an event when there is no place for high jump with old fashioned technique, or sprinting from a standing start (rather than blocks).
It's a sporting oddity, and I wouldn't want to see it scrapped, but is Phelps's achievement at these Games really greater than Lewis's? I reckon they're comparable, but due to the similarity of the events in swimming, Phelps will take home 8 medals rather than 3. If a track and field athlete won 8 medals in one Games, that would be an achievement that would transcend all others...
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re oxfordfoxfan
theres no need to be calling people idiots just because they express an opinion thats different to your own..it is only,as you say, "an opinion about sport on a sports blog"
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Absolutely brilliant, Robbo! You've literally had me in stiches haha.
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It is interesting reading the responses that many people seem to have confused the 'fun and games' section of the BBC website with an IOC committee hearing. Also, how thunderous pool has the audacity to call someone else stupid and then use cancer as an analogy to an intended comical take on olympic swimming is beyond me. Personally i thought it was quite a funny blog but then i'm not a swimmer (mainly cos it looks like a lot of hard work!!).
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I'm not demeaning the sport I just think there are way too many medals up for grabs. I'm not saying it doesn't take hard work and that, but no one has ever ever explained to me why swimming the butterfly makes any pigging sense at all. And if you rightly get rid of that freakish mode you can dump the IM as well - and the breaststroke which is swimming's equivalent of walking.
Phelps would still have two relays and two or even three freestyles to go for which is plenty for even the greediest yank, and this bloke has 12,000 calories a day - par for the course in America maybe but still a hell of a lot of tuck.
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Very droll but Robbo you can't take credit for some of those funnies. Michael Johson came out with the "running backwards", "hop on one leg" etc etc.
You're like a BBC Sport version of Jimmy Tarbuck or something.
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This is so dis-heartening to read as a swimmer.
Britain truely has the talent to do better at swimming in the olympics, but we simply lack the support, and decent coaching.
And seeing some of the comments people make about the swimming, I'm suprised anyone wants to compete and represen britain in the olympics.
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"if there was an exceptional athlete who could run 400m as well as they ran 100m, then in theory they could earn at least 5 golds" (post #24)
yes, but there never has been one and almost certainly never will be one because the requirements for running the two distances are so different.
But there have been many, many swimmers of both sexes who have won multiple golds at different distances (and using different strokes) ... which suggests it can't be that hard if you're the special one of your generation.
That's the whole point of Robbo's piece and good on him.
As for the poster who had to bring Carl Lewis into the discussion ... if Lewis had been banned, as he should have been after his negative drug test prior to the 1988 Seoul Olympics, he might never have won any medals at all.
And that, of course, raises other questions...
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What is thunderouspool talkin' about. "If only us brits had a legend with half the talent" It only took me a split second to come up with 2 answers that proves that it is indeed he that is being disrespectful. Why always compare sportsmen,good or bad, to footballers. Why not drop in some Sirs or Lords like Steve and Seb? I do believe they ruled their sport for a while and calimed a few medals.
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I am always amused by ‘Best Ever’ debates which generally only go to prove an appalling lack of historical perspective by most of those responding. England’s best ever sportsman; how about C. B. Fry? I can imagine the blank expressions...
Charles Burgess Fry had the looks of a Greek god and often performed like one. He possessed an array of talents that have never been equalled and his sporting achievements left a whole generation idolatrous and awestruck.
He played football for England, opened the batting for his country at cricket, and would have played rugby internationally but for his football commitments.
He was also the finest English track and field athlete of his day, holder of the world long jump record and was favourite to win the Olympic sprints had he not been to busy elsewhere to bother going!
In his spare time Fry achieved first-class honours in Latin and Greek at Oxford, was a gifted writer who became a fine journalist, represented England at The League of Nations, commanded a naval training school, stood for parliament three times and, believe it or not, was once offered the throne of Albania!
Perhaps if he’d married a Spice Girl...
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Fry was interesting. he didn't get a double first though according to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C_B_Fry
Robbo is one of those irritating people who just says things to wind other people up. Sometimes he will agree with what he writes, sometimes he won't, sometimes he probably won't even have an opinion. He just seems to want to irritate and hides it behind this "I speak my mind" rubbish.
Sad really.
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I think there should be a campaign to introduce the corkscrew into the pool. Its an important stroke.
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Spot on Robbo.
As for post 34 Lethal mako.
What incentive does he have to write things against his own thoughts.
He has put up a valid argument which many other people have also supported. If you don't like it then tough.
Why accuse him of posting things he doesn't agree with as if you are his personal psychologist?
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Again, as I have already said, I very much doubt that the same person would win a hopping race, a running backwards race, a sprinting race etc. However I don't think this is a fair comparison. There are downsides to having to compete in many events with people who compete exclusively. To mainain a high standard across all boards is really hard. It is unfair to assume that swimming freestyle and swimming butterfly are the same degree of difficulty, especially when you saw what happened in Phelps' 7th race against Milorad Cavic where he only just "beat" him. This is an example of this. If it was as easy as you say to win 8 golds in swimming then the same 8 top-class swimmers, world-ranked 1-8, would compete in every final and finish 0.05 seconds apart from each other in the same order. There is so much more to swimming and that. Phelps is, in my eyes, unquestionably the greatest swimmer ever (however it helps to be perfectly steamlined genetically) however this doesn't warrant 'THE GREATEST OLYMPIAN EVER' title or assumed greatness with the 'WINNINGEST' (?!?!) ATHLETE EVER as many, particularly the BBC have branded him, with no less than 15 mentions on the Olympics home page. The important thing to remember is that there is no single greatest Olympic athlete, just as there is no single greatest drummer or guitarist, musician, artist, actor etc. It is all completely down to opinion and what statistic you measure. Is it so hard just to simply acknowledge that winning ONE gold is an amazing achievement, in any sport, in itself and that winning multiple golds, if possible, in any sport is also a great achievement but in no way undermining to those that miss out?
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Swimming is comprised of different disciplines with different techniques for each robbo you pie. sORT of like going to school and studying Math, English, the arts etc...Not just studying English and graduating. Robbo nice attempt at humour but a bit far fetched Im afraid. You do your best work criticising over paid football players and Formula One. I guess when you become an established writer at the BBC such as yourself you feel you can say what you like.
Without repercussions.
Before Michael Phelps I could not give a toss myself about swimming. However after seeing him swim and win 6 out of the 7 gold medals in world record time I know I am witnessing something special. The guy is a man mountain who turns into a fish in the water. I reckon he could give Piranhas and sharks a good run for their money. eVEN if they were to catch him He would just give the the most sound thrashing ever with those massive shoulders of his.
Anyhoooooo the man is out and out the greatest Olympian of all time and indeed maybe the greatest athlete of all time. What he has managed to do is no small thing, we will never see the likes of him again at least for another twenty years, so def not in yours or most of ours lifetime Robbo. Next time when you decided to open your yob or computer to type another of your "masterpieces" I would advise you to think for more than a minute before you type your drivel. Thanks matey. Cheers for the blue belll hahahahaahha you crack me up with the blue beellllllllllllllllllllllllll rot. Cheers
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for post 37...
i agree that the runners would probably not win backwards/sidewards/hopping etc and to compare that with swimming is pretty ridiculous! Also i agree that it is not as easy as some are making out to win as many medals as Phelps because if it were, everyone would be winning multiple medals in the pool!
The bbc have Phelps mentioned so many times on their homepage because he is indeed the greatest Olympian of THESE Olympics! No one is talking about way in the past, news headlines are about the 7golds he has won in the past 7 days. and to any normal person, that achievement deserves to be acknowledged!
Also, Well Done Becky Adlington, 400m +800m freestyle Olympic champion... and broke a 19year old world record in doing so!! and Well Done the mens coxless 4s! and cyclers=D
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i'd suggest a few people who swim have taken this rather too seriously.
i'll say i'm a athlete and that is where my main interest in the olympics lies.
as to suggestions that there is no point in doing javellin, discus and shot because they are all throws, for a start they are totally different shapes, and how often has one person won two of those events? not often.
long and triple jump being similar, ok i compete in both those as an U17 and although can medal in both at county level beyond that there is no chance.
if you could hop the 100m that would probably be won by a triple jumper not a sprinter. running it backwards is done already and i believe the world record is around 11s, and i doubt a someone who runs forwards would be able to train to compete the top level both ways.
who you think is the greatest olympian is gonna be decided by what sport you follow, so although phelps might be the greatest olympic swimmer, since i didn't see him winning the 100m final or any cycling or any except swimming in as many ways as possible i wouldn't call him the greatest olympian
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your all scared because it was the truth
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bbc is ran by the chinese
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bbc i scared of the truth
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bbc may as well be chinese with its censorship/dictatorship on opinion, you best not disagree or they will censor your ass
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post 40
Of course people are irritated witht his. An official BBC sports commentator writes a blog saying that swimming can't be taken seriously during the Olympics. basically, he is discrediting our sport when it is being performed at a phenomenal level.
It's disgustingly disrespectful.
Michael Phelps, like athletes across all sports, has dedicated his life to being as good as he can possibly be. And then a BBC sport commentator says that swimming can't be taken seriously.
Someone who writes that is either trying to provoke just to get a reaction (a bit like bear baiting) or is plain ignorant of swimming.
Either way, it's disgraceful
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All credit to Phelps, but the article has a point about so many different styles and medals given for the same things - covering a distance as fast as possible. Someone here mentioned javelin or discus throwing - not the same. If there were discus backwards, or javelin underarm or without running as well then you could say it's the same as swimming...
On another note - noone mentioned Phelps' jaw - do we remember Inge De Bruin and her jaw? Do we know what is a common side effect of HGH (human growth hormone)? And if you say he's always had that jaw - that only means he's been on the juice forever...
Like Ben Johnson said recently - UNTILL THERE IS FULL BLOOD TESTING ALL THIS RECORDS AND FENOMENAL WINS ARE A JOKE!!! Still exciting to watch mind you....
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Robbo, you often fail with your half-baked knowledge on Football but somehow survive. Why taking the risk on blogging on swimming and insulting a man who has broken records after years. Do best what you can, which is saying some bullsh1t.
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Phelps is a fantastic swimmer..... i'd even go as far as saying the best ever.
But the best ever Olympian???!! NOT A CHANCE. Why? Just because he has more gold medals than anyone else.....? And he's only 23, with another 2 Olympics likely in him. These facts show how Swimming is a very different animal to the other Olympic sports.
Sure, Phelps has something-teen golds now from two games.... but does this really compare with the great Sir Steve Redgrave who won 5 Golds over 5 games through 20 years?
In my opinion.... certainly not.
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Many people have lazily taken this article as an attack on the legitimacy of swimming as a sport, which it's not, and I think Robbo does make some good points.
While I have no interest in pondering who the greatest Olympian is, it is interesting to think how or why various events come to be contested in the games. Having four throwing field events seems excessive perhaps but all do require different throwing techniques - however it's questionable whether these methods are ones which people would employ in 'real life' rather than just being a set of rules for the athletes to adhere to.
In swimming, it's certainly true that the backstroke and breaststroke are reasonable ways to approach swimming, for the average person. However forcing athletes to do swim a certain way in the water seems a very artificial restriction. The walk analogy is a very good one, and I doubt many people are going to defend the walk as a credible event. No person would ever challenge another to a 'walking race', because one or the other would quickly be tempted to run instead, since it's the naturally faster way to move. Similarly in a breaststroke race, one would naturally break into a freestyle stroke to gain the advantage.
But then again many other sports have at their very core complex and often strange rules, put in place to keep them competitive and challenging and to prevent them from being dominated by one massively effective approach. For prospective competitors in any sports, the rules of the discipline are clear and everyone sees the same rules. A young Michael Phelps was presented with the techniques of butterfly and freestyle, both tried and honed by many people over decades of competition, and trained to become incredibly good at each of them (and reasonable at the other two strokes in addition).
Legitimacy of disciplines aside, the other point concerns the adaptability of athletes such as Phelps to different events. Firstly runners do double up in terms of distances, though never more than two distances, and as far as I can see this is largely the case in the pool as well. The sore point seems to be with the different strokes. Tellingly perhaps, field athletes can't compete in multiple throwing events, but many swimmers are competent in two or more strokes. Another point is that the medley events cannot be seen as the equivalent of the decathlon, since decathlon competitors are distinct from those who excel at individual events, whereas the swimming medleys are simply a battle between the champions of the various strokes.
So perhaps some of the strokes/races are unnecessary and similar in nature, but this is sport and most events are artificial in nature. Why have loads of different types of boats in the sailing if one is fastest? Why put hurdles down on a track if they simply slow people down? These are merely disciplines for athletes to master, sets of rules to compete within. Most of the events still provide great opportunity for the testing and comparison of levels of strength, speed, skill and nerve.
The best approach seems to be not to compare sports too much. Getting any Olympic medal is a massive achievement, and if certain athletes are lucky enough to be in sports that allow them to claim multiple medals with relative ease then so be it. No one is moaning about Chris Hoy or Bradley Wiggins winning in three cycling disciplines, or Kelly Holmes getting two medals for the 800m and 1500m, races which often feature much the same field as one another.
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This is pretty childish if we're honest. You don't have to snub his achievement with silly comparisons to things that aren't sports. If like me you don't agree he is the greatest olympian ever you can't deny what he has done has been incredible.
The fitness and conditioning alone to enter all the races over the last week has been so impressive and he has earnt every single medal through hard work and hours training (just like everyone else at the olympics). He doesn't deserve to have journalists mock the event and attempt to de-value it as if you were 7 years old. To be honest we should just enjoy what happened and appreciate him as a talent that may never be seen in swimming again.
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A perfetly legitimate and understandable view- however clearly written by a man with no interest in swimming!
the purpose of a football match is to score goals- so why have the offside rule, limited numbers of substitutions or even fouls? Just have a penalty shoot out every week....
Why have hurdles that prevent people getting to the end of the track as quickly as possible...
Why only allow passing backwards in rugby..
etc etc...
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Robbo, I love your blogs, especially as they are mostly driven by blind patriotism. You are merely reflecting what the majoirty of the population think. And hey, whats wrong with a bit of patriotism durring a global sporting event, especially as we seem to be doing so well. In fact, take Phelps out of the equation and I think we're about even with the yanks in terms of gold medals!
But, I do have one slight criticism. Although I whole heartedly agree with your swimming analysis, would you be coming out with that if team GB had taken 20-odd swimming gold medals? Its only because we are rubbish at swimming (that Adlington lass aside) that when we see some beefed up yank taking more gold medals than most nations could ever hope for we tend to get a bit of the "but its not fair!".
On the other hand, look at cycling. Something we are good at. Where's all the criticism of the cycling events? Blimey, there's so many strange events there. See the little chinese guy cycling around on that little toy shopping bike before pulling off and letting the cyclists race? Bizarre. And these points races, what the hell is going on there?
But, who cares, as long as we keep winning in the velodrome and the medals keep coming, the table at the end of the Olympics will make us look way better at sport than we actually are. I for one, like Robbo, will not complain at that.
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Whether you agree with Robbo's comments or not, you can't argue with the facts. Not all, but the vast majority of multiple medal winners, are from the swimming events...
http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/INF/GL/99/GL0000000.shtml
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I think Robbo has a point here.
Not taking too much away from Phelps, put let's put it into perspective. Greatest Olympian? He is an exceptional swimmer, no doubt, but a runner has 2, maybe 3 distances he competes at and this guy is able to compete in 8 events ( i don't know how many of them were individual).
Carl Lewis managed to get into the Long jump and sprinting, surely this holds more water (sic) as the equivalent would be Phelps competing in the diving.
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I'm puzzled as to why so many people, people who don't find Robbo amusing, did the following.
1) Read this article.
2) Missed the point.
3) Decided to share.
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Good article, quite funny.
Swimmers/Phelps fans getting a bit over excited though.
There is no doubt that to be the best in the world at any sport you are an exceptional athlete. We all know that Phelps is a class act. The point of this article is to address the fact that swimming is a peculiar sport in that there is only one thing you can do in the water and that is swim, so why have different techniques and give out medals for it? You wouldnt tell someone to sprint the 100m as fast as possible but every stride had to be completed with an exagerated bob and weave of the head and one knee raised higher than the other. Its just stupid.
Human physiology and the ability to train determines how good an athlete can be. Introducing new ways to do things, as thw swimmers have done, simply introduces a new element -'the ability to learn a technique' this is where swimming differs from athletics. Robbos point is why should it? and i agree. Swimming is swimming. Running is running.
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all right
i dont like phelps
he wins too much
but its not fair to insult a whole sport
you can say any sport is stupid
you obviously just dont like swimming...
and i usually like your blogs robbo.
but this is downright disappointing.
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I would agree that too many medals are available for the swimmers.
I reckon though if Adlington had also won a gold in a breast / butterfly / backstroke event this article wouldn't exist.
I look forward to your blog on the ridiculous amount of cycling medals available....I wont hold my breath though.
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Robbo:
You are the Swimmer of the bloggers, just too many opportunities for you to appear smart and witty.
Which you are not.
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This comment was removed because the moderators found it broke the House Rules.
anyone else saw this......
www.001ofasecond.com
interesting if nothing else!
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Good article :D
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why so many people sayoing ANOTHER poor article or YET AGAIN not funny???
if u dont like it why waste so much time reading it and writing lengthy comments on it... Robbo speaks sense, greatest olympian cannot go 2 someone whose better at swimming slow then his opposition?? one swimming style different distances would be fairer wya to judge individual skill...
some of you weirdos shud just not read it if he ALWAYS seems to bore or offend u!... ... am i right? or not!
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Swimming can’t really be put in to the same category as any other Olympic sport. If there were other (sensible) ways of completing a 100m distance on the track I’m sure it would be included in the games. I’ve really enjoyed the swimming at Beijing, even the longer swims and it’s the different techniques that keep it interesting. Yes there are more medals than most other events but the nature of the sport allows for the different techniques to be used so why not use them! I can’t imagine any other Olympian watching a swimming medal ceremony whilst shaking the head with utter resentment so I am struggling to see where Robbo is coming from.
But hey Robbo you should thank your lucky stars because this crazy sport of swimming has given you something more interesting to blabber on about.
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I love it... great article Robbo. You have a great turn of phrase and made me laff out loud. I've stopped reading the comments to your articles though. I don't understand why so many people have no sense of humour.
Oh BTW, the Prem is a week old and there's no blog yet... what's happening? Barwick has gone too, surely there's some fun to be had there.
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The Olympic Motto is "Citius, Altius, Fortius." meaning "Swifter, Higher, Stronger.".
It is not swifter with strings (hurdles or different methods) nor with artistic impression.
Also interesting that the 100m is the blue ribbon event of the Olympics, even the other athletics event don't seem to come that close. Don't think that is a British bias, really as we don't really compete that closely in the 100m. I am not taking anything away from any of the medal winners each one is at the top of their game, just saying what I think the most people woudl have watched.
And as we have all these events why not have all kind of other events like running backwards, tug of war etc?
As an aisde I think they said the records could be the deeper pool (3m as opposed to 2m?). No doubt the 2012 comittee are working out how to afford a deeper pool.
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Blimmin' Ell
Doess Brent19 work for the Guardian or something?
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Spot on, and for all you whingers out there, Robbo's only echoing the thoughts of the vast majority....
There are too many artificial disciplines in swimming. Strip out all of the strokes, and just keep the distances - plus perhaps the medley (as a decatholon equivalent).
But also ditch (for the same reason) the triple jump, walking, a number of the cycling, rowing, shooting and sailing variations, anything which involves subjective marks being given for "artistic impression", anything "synchronised", the various weight classifications in boxing, weight lifting and martial arts and unify the "???(?)athalons". Oh, and football has no place in the olymics - mostly because none of the players actually care....
Plenty of room then for some proper sports...
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First of all.... as someone who has swum competitively for a number of years, I do find it somewhat disrespectful as competitive swimmers have to put in more hours of training than most other sports- certainly more than footballers who are grossly overpaid for what they do.
Yes, there are many events in swimming- but swimmers who excel in more than 2 are rare. That's why they are exceptional. Other than Phelps and Spitz- multi stroke winners in swimming have been few and far between. People often forget this.
Thorpe was an amazing talent- but he essentially dominated only two events, both in the same stroke- 200m and 400m freestyle.
Phelps and Spitz are alone in being quadruple champions in 100m and 200m freestyle and 100m and 200m butterfly.
Im not saying that they are better than Lewis or other multiple winners in other sports- but they have achieved the absolute pinnacle of what is achievable to them.
Micahel Johnson saidf the other day on BBC World Service that based on his technique, Usain Bolt may be able to go up to the 400m evn and win.
Nobody has ever done that.
In swimming, you are more likely to see competitors going outside of tehir comfort zone because that is an intrinsic part of training to be a swimmer- No swimmer- not even a 50m sprinter can rely on raw speed without endurance. Whereas in athletics, training tactics mean that spinters tend to remain sprinters all their lives and may never have run more than their designated event in their lives.
A 100m race in the pool is equivalent to a run of over 400m on the track.
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Good article Robbo, it made me laugh. Thankfully we won't have to endure watching the swimming again for another 4 years when it rears its head in London. Mind you since the GB swimmers seem to be getting to grips with the concept of getting from one end of the pool to the other quicker than everyone else, it might be an idea to leave some of the bonkers swimming events alone till after 2012 just to make sure we boost the home advantage.
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Leave to the jokes to the comedians Robbo!
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Robbo
Are you still in China? Come back and write us another article please!
cjn
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What an absolute joke of an article. And I usually find Robbo's rants amusing.
Lets be frank here. This article is another fruit of British biterness. If Phelps was British, Robo would be creaming all over him...
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