The buzzer sounds as the 8 fastest swimmers dive into the pool. At the wall he’s seventh, more than a half a second off the lead. His perfect record is on the line. Then, a burst of energy off the wall. He passes the leader at the last possible moment, winning by one hundredth of a second. The perfect record is intact. When people think of swimming, they most likely think of Michael Phelps. He has won 28 olympic medals, 23 of them being gold. He also won 8 gold medals in one Olympics, the most ever won in a single Olympics. Most people consider him the best swimmer and olympian of all time and some even consider him the best athlete of all time. However, while Michael Phelps was a hard worker, his early start as a swimmer, good coach, and perfect
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He started swimming at the age of seven when his older sisters joined a swim team. He learned to swim quickly, and by age 11, he joined the North Baltimore Aquatic Club after being inspired by the performance of swimmers at the 1996 Olympic Games. He made the U.S. National B Team in 1999 when he was 14 and made it to the Olympics a year later making him the youngest person to qualify for the Olympics in 68 years. Although he placed 5th, he still had many years ahead of him. In spring of 2001 he set a world record in the 200m butterfly making him the youngest swimmer ever to set a world record. () For being in his mid teens, Michael Phelps was already better than many world-class swimmers that were all significantly older than him. This young start as a world class athlete meant that Michael Phelps had more time to train and improve while he was still …show more content…
Michael Phelps’s wingspan is one of these features that help his swimming. Michael Phelps is six foot four inches tall but his wingspan is six foot seven inches. This extra length gives Phelps the ability to pull more water per stroke and therefore swim quicker and more efficient. Phelps also has large hands and feet that help him move larger volumes of water. Another feature of Phelps that gives him a slight advantage are his double jointed ankles. This added flexibility makes him able to snap his feet faster and therefore make his kicks stronger. () All these features added together give Michael Phelps an instant advantage over an average person when it comes to swimming.
While Michael Phelps worked hard to make his goals achievable, there are many other factors that helped him along the way such as his coach, his early start as a swimmer, and biological aptitude. In his interview with Bob Costas, he claimed that his 2012 performance in London was “pure talent” because he hadn’t trained much before the Olympics. This “pure talent” helped him win in 2008 by one one hundredth of a
He started swimming at the age of seven when his older sisters joined a swim team. He learned to swim quickly, and by age 11, he joined the North Baltimore Aquatic Club after being inspired by the performance of swimmers at the 1996 Olympic Games. He made the U.S. National B Team in 1999 when he was 14 and made it to the Olympics a year later making him the youngest person to qualify for the Olympics in 68 years. Although he placed 5th, he still had many years ahead of him. In spring of 2001 he set a world record in the 200m butterfly making him the youngest swimmer ever to set a world record. () For being in his mid teens, Michael Phelps was already better than many world-class swimmers that were all significantly older than him. This young start as a world class athlete meant that Michael Phelps had more time to train and improve while he was still …show more content…
Michael Phelps’s wingspan is one of these features that help his swimming. Michael Phelps is six foot four inches tall but his wingspan is six foot seven inches. This extra length gives Phelps the ability to pull more water per stroke and therefore swim quicker and more efficient. Phelps also has large hands and feet that help him move larger volumes of water. Another feature of Phelps that gives him a slight advantage are his double jointed ankles. This added flexibility makes him able to snap his feet faster and therefore make his kicks stronger. () All these features added together give Michael Phelps an instant advantage over an average person when it comes to swimming.
While Michael Phelps worked hard to make his goals achievable, there are many other factors that helped him along the way such as his coach, his early start as a swimmer, and biological aptitude. In his interview with Bob Costas, he claimed that his 2012 performance in London was “pure talent” because he hadn’t trained much before the Olympics. This “pure talent” helped him win in 2008 by one one hundredth of a