Swimming Articles

I was in a cafe right below my hostel about a block and a half from Tiananmen Square watching a 27 inch fuzzy television with a grab bag of international viewers. Where were you for the conclusion of the greatest Olympic performance in history? 17 races, 8 days, 7 world records, 8 olympic records, 8 Gold Medals, 1 blue print that Bob Bowman worked to perfection. Bowman learned how to develop the elite Olympian as a young assistant under Paul Bergan during the Tracy Caulkins era. It's a game plan that has been in the works for well over a decade. The Olympic portion began when he was still a boy, as he burst onto the five ringed scene at 15. Four years later was the test run. Bowman and his boy wonder were venturing into uncharted territory in 2004 and they still managed to walk away from Athens with 6 golds. After the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne any educated swim fan had to see this coming.  Thank goodness for Alain Bernard and Milarod Cavic. Without worthy opponents, Phelps's feat would lose its luster. Cavic's quotes provided something that American sports commentators make their living on... drama. Phelps losing the… more »