Michael Phelps - Is he human or metahuman?

No, there were jumpers in Beamon's era jumping 27 feet. World records in the long jump are alittle on the rare side it took some 25 years for Ralph Boston to beat Jesse Owens' long jump record that he set in 1935 and it was 22 years between Beamon's record and Mike Powell's.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Long_jump#Men

And speaking of Jesse Owens he did set three worlds and equalled a fourth world record in 45 minutes, nobody in any other sport has ever equalled that performance that I know of.

 

Thanks for the update. Obviously I don't follow Track like I used to. Still there has been little that has happened in any sport to match the magnitude of what Beamon did, when he did it.

I suppose I could be wrong but don't believe anyone was jumping 27 feet in 1968 or even 26 feet. In fact, I think it was some time before anyone jumped 25 ft. If I'm wrong on this let me know because I'm just going by memory.

 

Edwin Gourdin was the first over 25 feet and that was in 1923. When Ralph Boston and Igor Ter-Ovanesyan were passing the world record between they were regularally jumping over 27 feet.

Beamon's record was incredible but he wasn't able to jump beyond 26 feet after it. Carl Lewis however has a number of jumps 28 feet or more.

http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/lists/display_list.php?list_id=9&sex_id=M&year=2008

 

You know, there is a word called "exaggeration." Feel free to look it up. When I likened M. Phelps to a superhuman we only read about in comic books, I was, of course, exaggerating.

You, on the other hand, have constantly dismissed M. Phelps' athletic achievements as if they were insignificant, or at worst, non-existent. That simply is NOT the case here.

From my perspective, all I'm saying is that I have more respect and admiration for M. Phelps (as I do for so many Olympic athletes and swimmers) than these so-called superstar American baseball/basketball/football players that many people seem to worship. To each his own, I suppose. One man's hero is another man's villain.

 

'Nuff said.

 

Clearly a statement by someone who does not understand what competitive swimming entails at all.

"The full brunt of gravity"? Are you serious?

 

^From what I'm reading, he seems to think that swimming is easy, which is simply not true. Swimming is fucking hard work.

 

And a face like Gomer Pyle.

 

Uh-uh. Gomer Pyle is sort of cute. Phelps isn't. And at least we know Jim Nabors can sing. Can Phelps?

 

Phelps is cute and has a bloody amazing physique.

 

Guess we are completely discounting the fact that water is a hell of alot harder to pass through than is air.

But then, that's just a small nit, isn't it?

 

Yeah, let's throw him into a pool and see how long he lasts. I'll bet he doesn't even know how to swim.

 

Yes, most athletes deal with gravity more than swimmers must, but they don't have to deal with being 90% submerged in an unbreathable liquid, or have to push hundreds of pounds of said liquid out of their way to go anywhere. Swimming is the best cardio workout there is because it is damn hard. Anyone who discounts swimming as a 'nice little sport' has either never swam or is plain retarded. (does it count as a flame if I include multiple options?)

 

^I think it counts as a flame because you bolded and italicized it.

 

Don't get your panties in bunch, Precious. I never said what Phelps did was "easy". I even said that swimming was a great cardio workout, so we agree on something at least. Its all about reading comprehension, isn't it. But consider, how many times have you finished a long swim, jumped out of the pool and went for a nice long -- run -- to cool off. Now how many times have you done the opposite? I'm just saying.

It appears that the mention of "gravity" as a reality that has to be accounted for by all athletes one way or another seems to have thrown a few people. Surprising considering we're all Trek fans. Anyway, without restating everything I've already written, suffice it to say that gravity makes a HUGE difference between competition that takes place on land and that which takes place in water. Oh gravity does affect swimmers, just not as negatively as it does runners, or jumpers, or throwers, or walkers. There are many many greater athletes in much more difficult sports than swimming.

But this is really off topic as my original point wasn't to denigrate Phelps' 8 gold medals, but merely to offer some perspective to the thread starter who wanted to know whether or not he had seen more than just a "mere" human.

Keep in mind, Phelps won only one more gold medal than Mark Spitz did, and Spitz did it over 30 years ago. And did I anyone mention relays? Also, I don't think its a coincidence that these gaudy medal counts were both accomplished in the sport of swimming. Oops, there I go.

 

You may have denied it, but you only continue to show your ignorance when it comes to swimming. Of course, in your own little universe, people move faster underwater than they walk on land through dry air. Gravity-schmavity.