(August 10, 2008)

"Super fish" Michael Phelps

Gold again! American super fish Michael Phelps swam to a world record timing, the first at the Beijing Olympics, to win the men's 400m individual medley gold medal in Beijing Sunday morning.

However, Phelps is not the only swimming icon in America. The US swimming squad showed its pool dominance by medalling in all the four finals in Beijing Olympics on Sunday.

Michael Phelps of the US competes in the heats of the men's 400m individual medley swimming competition at the National Aquatics Center during the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 9, 2008. Phelps won the gold in the final. [Agencies]

 

People always attribute US swimming team's success to objective factors including popularity and foundation of the sport, as well as abundant investment and high-tech. But swimmers' persistence is in fact the overriding factor.

Here I'd like to analyze the mystery concerning the success of US swimming team.

"Genius" is what people often use to describe Phelps. He is tall, big and energetic, which make him seem to be born for swimming. But his feat did not come easily.

"I arrive at the training pool at 5 am, and spend most of the day in water. I’m interested in nothing except swimming," he said.

It's persistence and hard work that has helped him win..

Phelps' triumphant start ushered in a widely-anticipated gold quest to to eclipse Mark Spitz's seven-gold mark in 1972.

Phelps had aimed for seven gold medals but ended up with six in Athens Olympics four years ago.

"Mama" Torres

Called "mama" by Michael Phelps, 41-year-old Dara Torres is the mother of a 2-year-old daughter. The veteran swimmer made a strong dash in 4X100 meters freestyle to secure a silver medal for her country.

 

A file photo of Dara Torres and her daughter[sohu.com]

After beating competitors half her age in the 100m freestyle and 50m free sprints during the US Olympic swimming trials, Torres became the first American athlete to swim in five Olympics.

Though she got the entrance ticket of the Beijing Olympic Games, she was reluctant to be away from her daughter for one month.

Torres is also the oldest swimmer in Beijing Olympics.

"Many athletes were not even born when I started swimming," she said. Torres has won a total of nine Olympic medals (4 gold, 1 silver, 4 bronze) since her first Olympics in 1984. And Torres doesn't care much about whether she could win a medal in Beijing.

"I just like to be in this competition, I am proud to be doing what I love at this age," she said. "The water doesn't really know what age you are."

Introduction of Michael Phelps

Michael Fred Phelps (born June 30, 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland) is an American swimmer who holds World Records in several events. Phelps won eight medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, six of which were gold, which tied the record for medals at a single Olympics, a record that had been held by Alexander Dityatin since 1980. Phelps' international titles, along with his various world records, have resulted in his being named World Swimmer of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2006 and 2007. He has qualified to compete in eight swimming events at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and has already won the gold in the 400 m individual medley event.

Introduction of Dara Torres

Dara Grace Torres (born April 15, 1967) is an American swimmer. She is the first swimmer from the United States to compete in five Olympics: 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008. She competed in the Beijing Olympic Games in the 50 meter freestyle, 4 x 100 medley relay, and 4 x 100 freestyle relay and has received the silver in the 4 x 100 freestyle.

She has won ten Olympic medals including four golds, and won five medals alone in Sydney in 2000, the Games in which she was the eldest member on the team with her 33 years. She has won Olympic silver in the 4 x 100 Free Relay in the 2008 Games.

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