Phelps the perfect swimmer

ShareThis

As someone whose 50th birthday isn't too far off, this isn't easy for me to say -- because I'm old enough to remember 1972 and the Munich Olympics.I'm old enough to have seen Mark Spitz swim.I watched him win those seven gold medals, swimming faster in each event than anyone had ever swum before, becoming his generation's greatest Olympic hero. And as I watched all those records fall, as those images of Spitz churning through the water and standing atop the medal stand were burned permanently into the memory, I was sure that nobody would ever be any better.But ever is a long time.In this case, it was 36 years.Because my eyes don't lie. Nor do those Olympic timers.So here goes . . .Michael Phelps is the best swimmer I've ever seen.Better than Spitz.Better than anyone before or since.Across the past two Olympics, from Athens to Beijing, Phelps has won a record 14 gold medals -- five more than Spitz, five more than U.S. track-and-field star Carl Lewis -- to separate himself from all other champions in all other sports.But it wasn't until this summer, at these Games, that Phelps rose to previously unknown heights and assumed the throne in the pantheon of Olympic gods.He entered eight events -- two relays, two individual medleys, two butterfly, one freestyle and one medley relay -- and won them all, setting seven world records along the way.He won alone. He won with teammates. He won in blowouts. He won close races. When he needed to, in the 200 fly, he came from behind to win."It goes to show you that, not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, he's maybe the greatest athlete of all time," Spitz told The Associated Press. "He's the greatest racer who ever walked the planet."At the very least, Phelps deserves a prominent mention in any of those discussions.Put him on another stage, and he's the sports version of Baryshnikov. Or Pavarotti. Or De Niro.Put him in another sport, and he's the swimming version of Jordan. Or Gretzky. Or Woods.He is a master who saves his greatest performance for the grandest stage, a champion who brings out his best when it matters most, a swimming genius who possesses that rare ability to combine artistry and mechanics with a tireless work ethic and a indomitable competitive spirit.In today's vernacular, Phelps is often called a beast, because of his powerful strokes and the merciless manner in which he dominates his sport. But there's also beauty to the way he moves across the pool.He is a magnificent monster.A beautiful machine.The perfect swimmer.But the same was said about Spitz all those years ago. And what has happened in Beijing this past week -- despite the fact that Spitz's world-record times in the 200 free and 200 fly were 10 and 8 seconds off the numbers put up by Phelps in the same events -- doesn't diminish in any way what happened in Munich in 1972."I did what I did and it was in my day in those set of circumstances," Spitz said. "For 36 years, it stood as a benchmark. I'm just pleased that somebody was inspired by what I had done."Now, Spitz graciously says he's ready to pass the torch, stand aside and relinquish his throne at the apex of Mount Olympus.But let there be no doubt: The heart of a proud champion still beats within him.When NBC's Bob Costas asked Saturday morning one of those hypothetical, can't-be-answered questions, Spitz didn't flinch.Who would win if Spitz -- in his prime, given the benefit of today's training and nutrition, wearing today's hi-tech Speedo suits and swimming in today's faster pools -- raced against Phelps? "We'd probably tie," Spitz said.As someone whose 50th birthday is approaching, as someone who remembers watching Spitz win those seven gold medals in Munich, I'd like to believe that.But now I've seen Phelps, too.And, as difficult as this is to say, he's the best I've ever seen.(Ray McNulty is sports columnist for Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal. Contact him at ray.mcnulty@scripps.com or on the Web at www.tcpalm.com.)