I'm not paying attention to the Olympics

[certainthings]

but all this talk of Phelps is making me miss Thorpe.

Comments

[certainthings.livejournal.com]

Was his form and performance better than Phelps?

[fullycompletely.livejournal.com]

Well, no, not really, although Thorpe did beat him in their one Olympic showdown, the 200 in Athens. Phelps (heh, it's so weird to do that) has to be considered one of the greatest swimmers ever, not because he wins or even because he wins by so much, but because he wins everything by so much, so many different strokes. Thorpe was just a freestyler, but I swam 200 and 400, and I still remember sitting in English class in grade 10 where my friend came back from a big meet in the States and told me about this 14-year-old Australian kid who swam the 400 in under 3:50, and I just stared and stared at her because as if that was possible. I admire what Phelps is doing and I feel privileged that I get to witness it, but I guess I don't feel, like . . . a personal connection with him like I do with Thorpe. I love Ian Thorpe, the only one ahead of him in my heart is Popov.