Crazy Eights

Eight is said to be a lucky number in China. The Olympics started at 8:08 PM on 8.8.08. But for Michael Phelps eight means history. Eight means breaking the record for the most gold medals won in a single Olympic games. Eight means mission accomplished. Phelps came into these games with a mission, a dream. That was to break Mark Spitz’s 36 year-old record of most gold medals in a single games.

In 1972 in Munich, Spitz won seven golds in the pool. Phelps, a 23
year-old Baltimore native, wanted to top that. His schedule was
grueling. 17 races in, what do you know, eight days. And Phelps was up
to the challenge. Phelps handled his schedule with ease as he cruised
to gold in his first six events (save that relay), setting world
records in each one. There were a few close calls along the way (4x100m
freestyle relay), some almost too close to call (100m butterfly). That
100m fly was race number seven, and it looked like it would break
Phelps’ streak. He was seventh at the 50m turn. But somehow he found
another gear and was able to out-touch Milorad Čavić by one-hundredth of
a second, the absolute slimmest of margins. And in gold medal race
number eight, race number 17 overall, Phelps and his 4x100m medley
relay teammates swam to gold, holding off Australia and Japan down the
stretch.

And now Phelps has done it all. Most gold medals ever. Most
gold medals in a single games. And even though he is three medals shy
of most total medals ever, everyone knows that gold is the only thing
that really matters. He would settle for nothing less. And Phelps has
the most of those. Most out of any Olympian in history. Most out of the
110,000 so Olympians who have competed in Winter or Summer Olympics in
history. Do I have to say again that he is the greatest Olympian
champion ever? No, but I will. Phelps deserves it. Mark Spitz, the man
who Phelps passed tonight, put it best: "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. He’s
the greatest racer who ever walked the planet." True words from the man
who would know best.