They call him the 'human dolphin' - and Michael Phelps proved exactly why yesterday as he became the most successful Olympian of all time.
A brace of powerful swims saw the 23-year-old American take his Olympic gold tally to 11, eclipsing the previous record of nine.
With five of those won in this year's Games alone, and three events That unprecedented achievement would top the seven that fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz won at Munich in 1972. But Phelps's record attempt almost came undone yesterday.
As he climbed from the water after the 200m butterfly, Phelps confessed: 'I can't see anything. My goggles kept filling up with water during the race.'The hiccup did nothing to shake his confidence, however. An hour later he returned to the pool to win gold in the 200m freestyle relay. All the wins have set world records and few would bet against Phelps setting more in the 200m individual medley, the 100m butterfly and the 400m medley relay. Mel Stewart, a swimming analyst and former worldrecord holder in the 200m butterfly, said: 'Michael is the best specimen that nature has come up with for swimming. We've never seen anything like him.'
A brace of powerful swims saw the 23-year-old American take his Olympic gold tally to 11, eclipsing the previous record of nine.
With five of those won in this year's Games alone, and three events That unprecedented achievement would top the seven that fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz won at Munich in 1972. But Phelps's record attempt almost came undone yesterday.
As he climbed from the water after the 200m butterfly, Phelps confessed: 'I can't see anything. My goggles kept filling up with water during the race.'The hiccup did nothing to shake his confidence, however. An hour later he returned to the pool to win gold in the 200m freestyle relay. All the wins have set world records and few would bet against Phelps setting more in the 200m individual medley, the 100m butterfly and the 400m medley relay. Mel Stewart, a swimming analyst and former worldrecord holder in the 200m butterfly, said: 'Michael is the best specimen that nature has come up with for swimming. We've never seen anything like him.'
In the relay Phelps was first in the pool. His team-mates Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens and Peter Vanderkaay carried on where he left off and eventually clocked a new world record time of 6:58.56, the first time the seven minute barrier has been broken. He remains on target to surpass Spitz's achievement of seven golds in one Olympics.Dubbed the 'human dolphin', his success has been put down to his ability to kick like the mammal for 10 metres off each wall, keeping him under water longer than other swimmers. Phelps began swimming as a seven-year-old and he kicks off by flexing his body from the stomach down. He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and was prescribed the drug Ritalin. Phelps used the sport as an outlet for his hyperactivity and took it up professionally at the age of 16. He is now recognised as the most successful swimmer the world has ever seen and could be the greatest athlete in history.
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