Friday, December 4, 2009
Phelps Wins 8th Gold: Olympic Update
US swimmer Michael Phelps is now the most successful Olympian of all-time. Phelps won his 8th Gold Medal of the 2008 Olympics in Beijing last night passing former US Olympian Mark Spitz's mark of 7 Gold Medals. Phelps now has 14 Gold Medals in his career which is also an Olympic record. He has smashed several records on his own and on relays in the pool this Olympics as well. Michael Phelps has solidified himself as the best Olympian ever, on paper. There has been a lot of debate on whether or not Phelps is truly the greatest Olympian ever and there will continue to be. It is very difficult to compare athletes from different eras and sports. This means we will never truly have the answer to who is the greatest Olympian of all-time. But, Michael Phelps has proven he is one of the greatest ever to have swam and I am quite sure he is not done yet.
The USA Basketball Team continues to trounce its opposition. The US destroyed a talented Spain team and looks poised t! o win the Gold. But, all it takes is one upset to once again shatter the dreams of this team. Defeating Spain so handily is a great sign though. As long as the unselfish play continues this team will win the Gold Medal. No other country has the athletes we possess and the level of talent on the court. The US is young, but these guys do not look young. Players like LeBron James have been in the spotlight since high school. These guys play like 10-year veterans.
The 100 meter dash is the most exciting Track and Field race and it was full of surprises. Coming in it was expected to be the most talented pool of runners ever. Jamacia's Asafa Powell and Usein Bolt, USA's Tyson Gay, Michael Dix, and Trinidad and Tobago's Richard Thompson. Well, the semifinals themselves had a shocker. Favorite to win gold in USA's Tyson Gay failed to qualify for the finals. The finals then were even more shocking with Jamacia's 6'5" Usein Bolt obliterating the field and pounding his! chest with 15 meters to go. Bolt smashed the world record at! 9.69. He had just broken the record last year, and before that Asafa Powell had set it three times. Richard Thompson of Trinidad and Tobago picked up Silver and American Michael Dix picked up Bronze. The race was exciting, but not why we expected.
Tomorrow I will continue my NFL Preview '08 with the AFC South.