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Michael Phelps: Unmistakable splendor

Anja Niedringhaus, Associated Press

U.S. swimmers, from left, Ricky Berens, Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps set a world record in the men’s 4x200 meter freestyle relay final. Phelps already has won more gold medals than any other Olympian.

Anything less than eight gold medals would mean disappointment for Michael Phelps, who already has created a lasting memory.

By JIM SOUHAN, Star Tribune

Last update: August 13, 2008 - 11:14 PM

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BEIJING - If there is anything more identifiable from the 2008 Olympics than Michael Phelps' face, it is his abs. Has Wheaties ever put an oblique muscle on its cereal box?

Five times Phelps has raced in finals this week in Beijing. Five times his face has emerged first from the water. Five times he has set, or contributed to a relay setting, a world record.

Despite the individual nature of his pursuit, though, what we might remember most about this week is Phelps screaming after his teammates won relay races, aiding him in his quest for a record eight gold medals in an Olympics.

The foremost image of these Games so far is Phelps, his science fiction racing suit yanked perilously low on his abdomen, flexing every muscle as he celebrates a team victory.

Swimming is not an evocative sport. The athletes all look the same in the water, and there are few nuances to draw in the average sports fan. You inhale chlorine and watch the fastest swimmer win. It's that simple.

Phelps' celebrations, though, have occurred with his cap off, his face in full sight, and his emotions on display for the world. Those moments have made him look human even as he accomplishes the superhuman.

"I saw the relay picture, and it was pretty cool," Phelps said after winning two races Tuesday night, to bring his gold medal count to five. "That was pretty funny looking, and my friend actually texted me -- my last text before I got in the water this morning."

Phelps was holding a news conference. The room was packed with journalists from all over the world. Phelps paused, pulled out his phone, and scrolled to the text in question. "He said two things," Phelps said. "He said, 'It's ridiculous how many times a day I have to see your ugly face.' And, 'Keep up the work for the rest of the week,' and he said, 'It's time to be the best ever.'"

Before this Olympics, no individual had won more than nine gold medals in a career. On Tuesday night, Phelps won two to run his total to 11. Three gold medals in his final three races would give him eight for this Olympics, breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven.

The numbers say he is the greatest Olympian ever, even if you could argue that other sports have produced superior athletes with fewer opportunities to medal or shorter careers.

Phelps embraced the title with little hesitation.

The first question at his news conference was exactly that: What does it feel like to be the greatest Olympian?

"Now to be the most decorated Olympian of all time, it just sounds weird saying it," Phelps said. "I have absolutely nothing to say. I'm speechless.

"I think it started setting in a little bit after the butterfly. I was just trying to focus on my next race, but I was kind of thinking, 'Wow. Greatest Olympian of all time.' It's a pretty cool saying, a pretty cool title, I guess you could say.

"It's pretty neat. I'm definitely honored."

He is hearing that phrase -- "Greatest Olympian" -- even though he is one loss from having this Olympics declared a disappointment. He has three races remaining -- the 200-meter individual medley, the 100 butterfly and the 4x100 medley relay.

He is, of course, favored to win gold in all three and already has received his coronation as Greatest Olympian, yet his position is precarious. One loss would end his quest to trump Spitz, would ruin a story that already has been written.

"It's not over yet," Phelps said when someone asked if he were unbeatable. "Anything can happen in the next three events. This is almost everything I've asked for, although I would have liked to go faster in the 200 fly, but I handled myself pretty well.

"So I think this is something we've been preparing for for the last four years, and I think all the work is starting to pay off and starting to show.

"But I'm not unbeatable. No one's unbeatable."

That's a working theory for lesser athletes, but this is Phelps' Olympics, and he's already provided the moment we'll remember.

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