We’re counting down the top 10 moments of Michael Phelps’ career, so far. You, our readers, can participate, by voting for number one! Either Tweet or Comment on our Facebook with #phelpstop10lezaked if your number one is the improbable 400 free relay come-from-behind victory in Beijing is your top Phelps moment. Tweet or Facebook #phelpstop10cavic if your favorite is the almost unseeable 100 fly win over Milorad Cavic in Beijing, or Tweet/Comment #phelpstop108golds if your pick is the 400 medley relay, which ran Phelps into the history books.
PHELPS’ TOP TEN COUNTDOWN
#8. PHELPS PROVES HE CAN BEAT THE SUPER SUITS WITH A WIN IN THE 100m FLY AT THE 2009 WORLDS
To really look at the significance of this race, we need to take in the Phelps-Cavic rivalry that started back in 2008; Phelps and Cavic are so intertwined in swimming history that it’s hard to mention the top 10 Phelpsian Pheats without his rivalry with Serbia’s Milord Cavic. In 2008, as we all remember, Cavic said some choice comments to the media about how great it would be if Phelps lost the 100m fly final. We all know how that went over; Phelps came back from behind to just out-touch Cavic by one one-hundredth of a second and match Mark Spitz’ seven gold medals in one Olympic games and win what could be considered one of the most heart-stopping races this sport has ever seen.
Phelps took some time off from the sport after the Beijing Olympics, but was still clearly king after establishing himself as the most decorated/winningest Olympian of all time. Come 2009, the outbreak of high-tech polyurethane suits swept the sport, adding to a absolute mauling of the record books. Suits like the Arena X-Glide and the Jaked-01 aided swimmers with buoyancy and other aspects of their race to truly change how fast a swimmer could move through the water.
Many, such as Phelps, questioned the integrity of these suits in the sport and chose not to wear them. At the US World Championships trials Phelps broke the longstanding world record set by his former teammate and rival Ian Crocker of 50.40 in the 100m fly, a mark that he’d been eyeing for some time. Phelps swam a 50.22 and headed to the 2009 Worlds with the same schedule as Beijing minus the two IM’s.
At the Worlds, Cavic spoke out again about beating Phelps and Phelps’ decision to not wear the new high-tech race suits. In the semifinals of the 100m fly Cavic broke Phelps’ world record with a time of 50.01, just two one-hundredths shy from being the first man under the 50-second barrier. In the finals, it was a clear rematch of Beijing and Cavic was out fast. Phelps once again had to track him down to the wall, and in a last effort passed him to be the first man to break the 50-second barrier in the 100m fly. Phelps touched in at 49.82, Cavic in 49.95 to set a European record.
Following his victory, Phelps got on top of the lane rope, pounded his chest and showed off his Speedo LZR Racer showing the world that he didn’t need a high-tech swim suit to come out on top. That race was the last real showdown between the two swimmers, considering an injury for Cavic that prevented him from even qualifying for the semi-finals in the event in 2011. Cavic wasn’t as big a factor at the 2012 Olympics either, finishing fourth.
Undoubtedly with Phelps; amazing time, amazing race, and his ability to win the race without a high-tech suit, it makes it a clear 2-0 for Phelps in his rivalry against Cavic. The rivalry will go down in history as one of the greatest the sport has seen, and the race in 2009 one of the finest performances of perseverance.
go to 1:15 in posted video at the top. That’s what I miss. Look at how hard Ryan was cheering for Michael. That camaraderie was definitely gone in 2012. I’m not sure when it happened…but it makes me sad.
In 2012, Lochte wanted to prove that he can be like Phelps.
Wait a minute. Phelps was still wearing what is considered today an ILLEGAL suit. No high road there, and if Speedo had an equivalent similar full polyurethane suit as the Jaked, he would have worn it. 50% vs 100% poly = still illegal today and merits a big, fat asterisk on any record using it.
Race video!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae5MRkO4CHQ
Sorry. I didn’t remark a race video was already posted above. 🙄
Now, that Rafael Munoz perfectly embodies rubber-suit swimmer specialist. His textile PBs are waaayyy slower than his polyurethane PBs.
look, we are focusing on all the wrong aspects of this race. phelps went a 49.8. i’m a little bit of an old timer i guess but sub 50 100 fly was definitely one of those “ain’t gonna happen” standards. i never thought i would see 49 in 100 fly! probably his most impressive single swim, and in the running for the most impressive individual feat of all time
one of his more impressive swims ya, all time? not in my book. his 200 fly where he smashed the record by something like 2 body lengths, that’s an all timer 1;51 I think. his 400 IM at bejing, all time. aaron peirsol 200 back, and 100 for that matter cause it still hasn’t been broken, (close by grievers though) all time. and god forbid when kevin cordes goes 49 in the 100 breast, short course. that will be ALL TIME. ya phelps did go a 49, and that was thought to be “impossible”. but seeing crocker go a 50.4 in a textile. come on crocker could have gone 49, in a full body had he worn one. and cavic… Read more »
My problem with that is that he clearly was not as fit in 2009 as he was in 2008 or even 2007and he was still able to drop quite a bit of time that year. So while breaking 50 is remarkable, and it will be quite some time before we see another join Phelps and Cavic under that barrier, it can’t be considered his best swim when the time drop might just be the result of switching from the legskin to the full body suit for this event.
what! not as in good of shape. phelps was in the best shape of his life in 2009 almost. he was lifting a lot more for his power. I specificly remember hearing that from himself and bowman. someone going a 49 in the 100 fly now is almost impossible. I agree there, and the time drop is most likely due to fullbody vs legskin.
Best shape of his life was in 2007.
To be fair, he was wearing a LZR. Could he have worn the suit if he wanted to? he was contracted to speedo.
does anybody know Phelps’ best time in textile? I wonder if he could still get Under Ian Crocker’s 50.4 in Jammers
Best textile time I can find on him is 50.65 from 2010 summer nationals
CMIIW, Phelps’ textile PB in 100 fly is 50.65 from 2010 US Nats.
ok I want to put this out there and see if anyone can find it. cause I’ve looked. in 09, at worlds, during the 50 free there was coverage and this view from behind the blocks, I think it was bousquet, or leveaux. either way the photo/video shows how HUGE one of them was, lats just spilling out of the suit. anyone who can find me the video or a photo of that i’ll give you a virtual high five.
it may have been the 100 free
I know that exact photo that you are talking about, but don’t know where to find it.
I remember seeing that and just being in awe of how massive he was. I think it was alain bernad, cause isn’t he like 6’7″ or something?
I couldn’t find that exact picture, though I also remember it… but I found this one…
http://ww2.hdnux.com/photos/07/71/45/2070853/9/628×471.jpg
This article makes it sound like he was fighting the good fight, but I’m sure if Speedo had come out with a suit that was 100% polyurethane he would have been happy to wear it. And as other people have mentioned the LZR was still a super-suit, it just wasn’t quite as super as the Arena X-Glide, Jaked-01, TYR Tracer Rise, or the Blue Seventy and Adidas suits.
What made it hypocritical was that in 2008 the US and Australian swimming federations couldn’t care less about the protests from some european countries whose swimmers were not outfitted with LZR or the fact that Speedo didn’t make LZR soon enough for non-priority countries/swimmers.
Even Libby Trickett (and many other top US and Australian swimmers as well as British including Rebacca Adlington) in 2008 said it was the swimmer who swim fast and not the suit or said nothing about their LZR suddenly changed their tune in 2009 when they got beaten by swimmers suited in Jaked or X-Glide or Hydrofoil. And yes, that included Phelps and Bowman, whose threat in 2009 Rome finally forced FINA to ban polyurethane suits.
Not just European.. many many guys where crazy for those suits..
Bieldermann was the only finalist of his races that did not had any suit..
Cielo had to ask his coach to stay in line for hours to get him a suit also while he was training
This x10,000.
My favorite part of the whole this is how much simpler the “extra super” suits were. The LZR was R&D’d to hell, figuring out exactly how much polyurethane to put where and whatever…while it was just a hell of a lot easier to make a whole suit outta the stuff. How no one at Speedo realized that when they were making it is beyond me.
I would rank this swim much higher given the stakes and the controversy surrounding the matchup. It’s my #2 after his ’08, particularly because its probably the only time ever Phelps has focused an entire year around one event– to majestic results.