If I hear another word on Michael Phelps and his attempt to win eight gold medals in Beijing I am going to be sick.
But here I am writing about him. Frankly, it would be difficult to ignore the sheer magnitude of what the American is setting out to achieve in his sport.
Despite the aid from constantly developing technology and science, it would appear that Phelps is unquestionably the most supreme swimmer in the world and stands a good chance of achieving his goal.
The American is unmatched amongst his contemporaries except perhaps for Ian Thorpe who gave him a run for his money teaching him a lesson in humility in the heightened atmosphere of Olympic competition.
This time however, with Thorpe retired, Phelps is set to create a splash. But does he have a serious chance, is what the critics are asking.
The answer, at least on paper, would appear to be no. The sheer effort of winning eight gold medals in a single Olympics is simply daunting.
This, however, does not take away from the fact that if anyone is going to set the pool on fire it is Phelps.
The pressure on him will build before each event. Every race has contrasting parameters from the previous one and requires a switch in approach and thought process not to mention technique.
Every race will have a swimmer who has specialised in that single event alone and they are not going to roll over and die especially with an Olympic gold at stake.
But the pressure begins to build not from the pool but from a venue where there is no lane and no water.
The competitors call it the Water Cube and it is here that all of them must gather roughly half an hour before each race.
It is in this small, enclosed, but uninhabitable space of real estate that the aura of competitiveness and antagonism is heightened.
The swimmers do what it takes to adapt to negative conditions. Some have testified that after the ‘waiting is over’ in the Cube racing in the pool seems like a walk in the park.
During that wait many work on their thoughts and actions, some simply close out their minds, while others take refuge in an iPod or mp3 player.
The more aggressive try and subject their opponents to intense psychological pressure.
The Water Cube can perhaps tell many sordid tales that will probably never be published in the journals of swimming.
There have been a few, however, who have related their emotions and experiences.
Still, in order to get the perfect experience of what goes on in there a swimmer needs to try and win not one but eight Olympic gold medals. And only if they have done so can they be certified to tell the tale.
Mark Spitz has given his side of the story after seven golds. It’s now Phelps’s turn.
