Michael Phelps: This Century's Jesse Owens?

The 2008 Beijing Olympics will always be remembered as Michael Phelps' Olympics. Phelps won an unprecedented 8 gold medals at the Games, while setting seven new world records, a mark that will likely never be broken. It would be an amazing feat no matter where Phelps swam, but the fact that these Olympics were held in Beijing adds a greater geopolitical importance to what Phelps achieved, not unlike Jesse Owens four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

It may be a bit harsh to compare present-day China to Nazi Germany, and certainly Phelps did not have to overcome the racial prejudice that Owens faced, but there are similarities. Germany used the 1936 Olympics to show that Nazi Germany was a resurgent world power after being devastated by World War I. China has also used these Olympics to show that they are a world power, and that their communist system of government works. Owens had to compete under the gaze of Adolf Hitler, while pictures of Chairman Mao are plastered all over the streets of Beijing.

Throughout these Olympics, there have been strong undertones of the United States and China competing head-to-head, with each side trying to measure each other up to determine who will be this century's world superpower. China has dominated the gold medal count while the United States has led the overall medal count for most of the Olympics. Hopefully, the United States' relations with China never reach the point they did with Germany in the 1940's, but the possibility of another Cold War exists, with each side flexing their muscle and trying to show the superiority of their way of life.

The Chinese have put on an impressive show, both with their hosting of the games and with their excellent gold medal count, but nothing they have done can come close to competing with the historic performance of Michael Phelps in the pool. The spotlight was taken off of the Chinese, and placed on an American swimmer without peer, not only in these Olympics, but in all of history.

Phelps' dominance has had an affect on the Chinese. For example, a post on the Chinese website QZone discussing Michael Phelps' quest to win eight gold medals had to be removed because of fears that discussion of an American athlete doing so well as opposed to the success of Chinese athletes would incite ultranationalism. Many in China don't want to believe that an American athlete could be so dominant in his sport.

Phelps' performance in Beijing now belongs to history. His achievements will never be forgotten. He elevated himself from just a swimming star to a sports star with his eight gold medals. And because he was able to do it in Beijing, he may become a sports figure that transcends sport and becomes a historical legend, in much the same way that Jesse Owens became a legend in 1936.