Not since Beijing have I been more excited to see a swim meet! The FINA Worlds had all the drama you could imagine. There were literally dozens of WR (world records) set at this one meet. The relays were crazy fast. The upsets were upsetting :( And people were talking fashion. Usually I'd be happy if fashion was the center of discussion at a sporting event. But I admit that I didnt like hearing all the talk about which suits made which swimmers win/lose. All I can say is swimming got way more attention in a post Olympic year than it ever has. And who do we thank for that? Steroid suits, trash talk, and of course Phelps.
There was so much going on for those 8 days of swimming that it was really hard to keep up. Peirsol, Clary, Adrian, Walters, Grevers, Shanteau, Lochte and Phelps were so amazing to watch. I also loved how we saw the swimmers in the stands cheering on their team.
I remember sitting at the computer and logging onto Universal Sports live Worlds Coverage and seeing the middle of the 200 Free Final. It took me a minute to figure out what I was seeing. I sat there for the last 25 meters and when the race was over, Michael was not the first at the wall. I sat there blinking. It took about 2 min before the Tweets and Status updates flooded in. I think we were all in shock. It's hard to describe. Even now Im having trouble writing it. 200 Freestyle? Silver? Any medal at Worlds is an achievement, its just hard to see your fav swimmer not get the color medal you know they were expecting.
Then of course the suit issue pops up. The media pounced on the fact that Mike wore his standard (inferior) Speedo, while Germany's Paul Biederman wore the soon to be banned rubber suit (what some call Steroid Suit). Mike was so gracious at the press conference after the race. He told the truth and said that the swimmer won the race, not the suit. Bob Bowman on the other hand went totally 'Gangsta' and said that it would be very likely that seat-filling, sponsor luring, and TV Live Broadcast supplying Phelps would not be swimming ANY international meets until the suit issue is resolved... FINA stated the suit regulations would firmly be in place in January and that all records set by swimmers in the banned suits would be valid next year. Awesome.
Redemption came for Mike during the 200 Fly. He raced hard and hit the wall in record time. I admit that many of the Phans and Phriends felt better, but we had another race on our minds. YES the rematch between Mike and Milorad Cavic in the 100 meter Fly.
This was a race that was hyped up not just because of Worlds being televised, but also because of various interviews done by Cavic. He is a top tier swimmer, no question. He's one of the fastest Butterflyers ever. And I admit if he weren't showing off his swimmer swag during interviews, the race would've had less tension. Having said all that, I can't really describe in words how I felt when I heard Mike beat him...to the wall...AGAIN. At the end Mike pulled on his suit, flashing the Speedo label, gave a 'primal chest thump' :) ( You can read the photo comments on PP&P FB page, that sums it up:)
A fellow Phan posted a comment on one of Mike's fan pages' Wall. I think Jessica summed up Mike's 100m Fly experience the right way:
Ty- the question is... who dares question or doubt MP's abilities after today?!? The man took on the tech suit and won. He chased down the fastest flyer in the shorter distance event. He let the swimming do the talking and the message was heard loud and clear... new World Record. First man to ever go under the 50 second mark in the 100m fly. He did it while remaining loyal to his sponsor, his fans and to himself... he did it with integrity. Michael's swim today is an iconic representation of what the sport of swimming is all about... passion. I am proud of ALL swimmers who exemplify certain ideals... particularly good will and sportsmanship. I congratulate Michael for never giving up on the pursuit of his goals and having the courage to never back down from the challenge of seeing his dreams become a reality.
The relays were of course exciting! The 4 x 100 Free was intense as expected and Nathan Adrian was the hero of the hour. Dave Walters was our guy in the 4 x 100 Medley, and Ryan "We Wanna JEAH Hat Too!" Lochte was again a hero in the 4 x 200 Free.
Congrats to Mike for his Phive Gold Medals AND the Silver just for extra motivation, and ALL the USA swim team for an amazing meet, and examples of how determination can drive motivation (Peirsol, Clary :). And of course.......
HAPPY 25TH BIRTHDAY TO RYAN 'REEZY' LOCHTE!!!!!!!!!!!
