The Drubbing

Phelps first man under 50 seconds in 100 Butterfly in “Inferior Suit”

As reported by Ryan Doyle in this week’s Chuck Norris Links of the Week, Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic called out Michael Phelps prior to the finals of the 100 Butterfly at this year’s Swimming World Championships in Rome.  Phelps has been seemingly human at the meet, losing his first race in major competition in 4 years.  A 6 month break from training and the invent of the Arena X-Glide and Jacked polyurethane full body swimming suits has allowed the field close the gap with swimming’s greatest champion.

Ian Thorpe shows off of one of his gold medals, while dreaming of Amanda Beard

Phelps, a longtime spokesman for swimming’s leader in swimming equipment, Speedo, has honored his contract in Rome by staying with last year’s LZR Racer suit, a descendant in the line of Fastskin suits introduced in 2000 with fabric modeled after shark skin.  In the past year, next generation polyurethane suits by Arena and X-Glide have supplanted Speedo’s dominance, and put Phelps at a disadvantage.  The suits work by increasing buoyancy in the water, thereby reducing drag as more of the swimmers body is traveling through less dense air than water compared to those wearing competitors’ suits.  The difference in technology is similar to that of wooden and carbon tennis rackets.  As a result of the new materials, world records have been obliterated at this year’s meet.  28 world records (out of 40 possible events) were set at this years meet, rewritting the record books.  Previous unknowns such as Paul Biedermann have dropped significant time with the X-Glide suit.  Biedermann’s improvement this year alone in the 400 freestyle is comparable to half a decade of personal bests by Phelps.  As a result, the German broke one of swimming’s all-time great world records set by Aussie Ian Thorpe in 2002.

Milorad Cavic in a rare appearance without the aid of his X-Glide suit

Cavic, who lost to Phelps in the most exciting swimming final of all time at Beijing, stated that he would buy Phelps any suit he wanted to level the field in this year’s rematch.  Additionally, he claimed that his defeat in Beijing was incorrect and that he truly won the 100 Butterfly at the Olympics despite video and touchpad evidence stating otherwise.  As unbelievable as it looked in real time that Phelps won the race, touchpads do not lie.  In the event of a malfunction, the frame by frame video evidence corroborated the timing system.  The officials got it right in Beijing and Cavic is a sore loser.

Obviously, it was a poor decision to call out Mike Phelps.  Doyle’s comment about trash talk in swimming begins to tell the story of how the swimming world conducts itself.  Swimming is far more a mental sport than most outsiders realize.  When you are pushing yourself to the limit against rivals, within hundredths of a second of victory or defeat, in races that last typically last under 2 minutes, the mental aspect is of high importance.  Swimmers train 6 hours a day, 12 months a year for the chance to get everything right on the world stage in 1 race.

Cavic has honed his talking abilities, but still working on the backing it up part

Recall two events of the last Olympics and one can begin to see how much an effect trash talk can make in motivating a swimmer.  Australia’s “Thorpedo”, Ian Thorpe, mocked Phelps quest for 8 Gold medals in Beijing in the weeks leading up to the Olympics.  Phelps took the quote made by the retired Aussie, posted it in his locker, and used it for motivation every day prior to the Olympics.  We all can recall the absolute greatest on display last summer as Phelps succeeded in his quest.

Likewise, in attaining the championship in the one race that Phelps should not have had any chance in winning, trash talk provided motivation.  The highly favored French 400 freestyle (4 x 100 as non-swimmers call it) relay featuring the worlds greatest  sprinters including the undisputed fastest 100 freestyler ever, Alain Bernard, claimed superiority in the event.  Bernard stated, “The Americans?  We’re going to smash them.  That’s what we came here for.”  The American team used this as extra motivation leading up to the race, particularly anchor Jason Lezak, who far exceeded his personal best, made up a body length lead on Bernard, and smashed the French in his own right.  It’s hard to explain to those that do not watch much swimming just how unbelievable Lezak’s swim was, it would be similar to the Detroit Lions coming from 4 touchdowns behind in the 4^th quarter against the New England Patriots in the Superbowl.  It was that remarkable of a swim.  Motivation to make the French eat their words caused Lezak to swim out of his mind.

With or without a performance enhancing suit, Phelps wins

Throughout the past half decade of his dominance, Phelps’s confidence in himself as a champion has been his greatest single quality.  In the same way that opponents knew Jordan was better than them, other swimmers realize this about Phelps, intentionally or not, and cannot beat him due to a mental block.  When you trash talk a competitor with the ability to will himself to victory such as Cavic did this week, it adds another level of will power and determination to embarrass your opponent and leave him in shambles.  As Cavic faded down the stretch, Phelps stroke by stroke got stronger and told himself and the world, Cavic you lose.  Phelps touched in a record breaking 49.82, after which he jumped out of the water and pulled out the chest of his suit, emphasizing his dominance in spite of dated technology.

At the conclusion of this year’s meet, the last decade’s technological advances in swimming will become a thing of the past.  FINA, the world’s governing body for swimming, has determined that prior to next year’s World Championships only suits made of “textiles” (not polyurethane) will be allowed.  Likewise, suit coverage will be restricted to “jammer” length, from the waist to the top of the knees.  All swimmers will be on an even playing field.  World records will once again become special and the swimming world will return to its past.

I fully expect Phelps to continue his dominance regardless of the rules implemented.  No matter the suit, timing system, conditioning level, Michael will continue to conquer Cavic and the rest of the competition.

Watch the video of Phelps’ record-breaking performance race below.