Meeting the Gold Standard

By any account American swimmer Michael Phelps has accomplished a lot in his 19 years – he has set 13 world records, appeared on covers of national news magazines and collected pounds of medals. So, it was disappointing that the media chose to portray the teenager as a loser because he won’t beat Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics. Because Mr. Phelps had won a gold and two bronze medals in three races, he was deemed a failure on day three of the games. On day four he picked up another gold while setting an Olympic record in the 200-meter butterfly.

While it was the media that hyped Mr. Phelps and his medal aspirations before the Olympics, reporters were just as quick to tear him down. “The kid couldn’t catch the Thorpedo and he won’t be catching Mark Spitz either,” the Associated Press chided after Australia’s Ian Thorpe won the 200-meter freestyle. Mr. Phelps came in third, setting an American record in the process. The same report suggested that Mr. Phelps ducked the cameras as he “disappeared behind the stands” after taking a second look at the scoreboard. Mr. Phelps hurried out of the aquatics center because he had another race in less than an hour. He is swimming in an unprecedented five individual events.

Not only are such assessments harsh, they highlight America’s obsession with winning. Who knows the other five swimmers who raced in the men’s 200-meter race? Practically no one because all the attention was focused on the top three finishers.

This has happened before. Track and field star Marion Jones said she could win five gold medals at the Sydney Olympics in 2000. She won three golds and two bronzes but didn’t meet her or everyone else’s expectations. Ditto for Matt Biondi, the American swimmer who quickly faded from public memory after winning only five gold medals, plus a silver and a bronze, in the 1988 Olympics in his quest to meet Mr. Spitz’s record.

It is also worth bearing in mind that Mark Spitz did not set the gold medal record on his first try. As an 18-year-old heading into the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City, Mr. Spitz predicted he could win six gold medals. He came home with two golds, won in relay races. A more seasoned 22, Mr. Spitz won his record seven medals in 1972 in Munich.

Fortunately, Mr. Phelps himself kept it all in perspective. “I had an opportunity and I tried to do something that (Spitz) did,” he said after his third-place finish Monday. “I tried to match that and I didn’t. It’s an honor winning one Olympic gold medal. I came into this wanting to do that and I’ve already been successful.”

Now, that’s the (Olympic) spirit.