Michael Phelps' 7th Gold Medal

They call him superman; however, Phelps is nothing shy of superb. This man is like a fish in the water. Like most, I have gotten use to seeing Phelps dominate in every event, that I never thought I would witness an event (like last night's, August 15, 2008) where it would be that close.

Last night's event was closer than close. In the last 2 meters of the swim, knowing that the butterfly is not Michael's strongest style; I really thought that he had lost the event. As Phelps and Cavic closed in on the wall, it seemed to have been a clear win, however once again Phelps showed how truly amazing he was by digging deep within and diving with all he got for the wall and sealing the win within 1/100^th of a second. This also sealed his place in the history books. Nonetheless, as I watched the screen it wasn't clear what exactly took place; it wasn't until the second, third and fourth replay that it was obvious to me that Phelps had once again swept up his 7^th gold metal. However, to Cavic's, coach, Mike Bottom, this was not such a clean sweep. Before, they were out of the water; coach Bottom had filed a protest on behalf of Cavic, which made the win, in my eyes, bitter sweet. I really don't believe that the computer lied, however, like most, I had my doubts. It wasn't until after the third or fourth replay in slow motion, that I finally understood what had happened. Phelps lunged for the wall in the last meter, while Cavic decided to glide for the last few meters. All, I have to say about Cavic's move is that... it's a race; it's a competition! Did he not realize who was in the water with him? When you are in a competition with "the most decorated Olympian ever," you cannot let your guard down. I don't think that Cavic got the memo, and now to file a protest? I guess I would have been angry too if I was that close and had then decided to throw it away. I would have experienced a surge of emotions as well, however, at the end of the day he has no one else to blame but himself. Yet and still, to know that it was only 1/100^th of a second, cannot make it any easier. Sprinters and marathoners lean their upper bodies forward to create the distinction of who the real winner is. Now, maybe they should now change the rules for all swimmers. They should now be allowed to chop the wall in the last 2 meters of the swim, to seal the deal. In that case no swimmer would be blind sited in the last 2 meters of the swim.

This is now Phelps' 7^th straight win, which ties Mark Spitz's record of seven in a single Olympics. This is truly amazing; he is truly amazing. Michael has defied all the laws that apply to man and matter. What happened was astounding and I was bewildered. It was doubtful, but it was what it was. Michael is living the dream; his dream, and he has turned us all into believers. It's a true testimony to the fact that anything is possible if you work hard.