Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte: internal competition at its finest
Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte: internal competition at its finest
October 14th, 2010 9:12 pm ET
The National Championships and Pan Pacific Championships have just wrapped up and given Team USA plenty of optimism heading into next summer’s World Championships, and most importantly the London Olympics in 2012. More importantly, it wasn’t just Michael Phelps making a splash.
Phelps won five gold medals at the Pan Pacs in August just two weeks after going four out of six in the National Championships. He lost to Ryan Lochte, his close friend and biggest threat, at Nationals for the first time in a major event in the 200 meter individual medley and later finished fourth in the 200 m backstroke. Phelps’ training regime has been much altered since he won a record eight gold medals in Beijing, and the difference is crystal clear, to Phelps at least.
After winning the 200 m butterfly, a race he hasn’t lost since 2002, an hour after winning the 200 m freestyle at Nationals, Phelps called it his worst swim ever in the event. Moreover, with Lochte going six for six at the Pan Pacs, he left the most successful Olympian of all time in his wake.
Lochte has much more to prove than Phelps because he has always been in the latter’s shadow, but Phelps has admittedly not been training as hard as he could be. With 16 total Olympic medals to his name, Phelps can easily break the record, 19, at 2012, and he said back in 2008 that he’ll likely retire after London. He’ll want to go out with a bang and like all world-class athletes, Phelps has an innate hatred for losing.
Phelps has never been much for the backstroke, where Lochte excels, and neither fancies the breast stroke. Phelps’ butterfly is unmatched by any swimmer in the world, and he also holds the edge in mid-distance freestyles. The real battle is in the medley events. Phelps has walked away from the 400 and had seemingly given up the 200 as well. His progress in the 100 meter freestyle wasn’t as good as he and his coach wanted. Lochte broke Phelps’ world record in the event last summer and beat him head-to-head this year, so Phelps will have his work cut out.
The competition between Lochte and Phelps is the stuff coaches dream of. Two players on one team pushing each other to be better and in the end, the team always comes out victorious. There’s no doubt that these are the two best swimmers in the world making each other better and the only question is who will be on top for Team USA in London.
[ source ]
October 14th, 2010 9:12 pm ET
The National Championships and Pan Pacific Championships have just wrapped up and given Team USA plenty of optimism heading into next summer’s World Championships, and most importantly the London Olympics in 2012. More importantly, it wasn’t just Michael Phelps making a splash.
Phelps won five gold medals at the Pan Pacs in August just two weeks after going four out of six in the National Championships. He lost to Ryan Lochte, his close friend and biggest threat, at Nationals for the first time in a major event in the 200 meter individual medley and later finished fourth in the 200 m backstroke. Phelps’ training regime has been much altered since he won a record eight gold medals in Beijing, and the difference is crystal clear, to Phelps at least.
After winning the 200 m butterfly, a race he hasn’t lost since 2002, an hour after winning the 200 m freestyle at Nationals, Phelps called it his worst swim ever in the event. Moreover, with Lochte going six for six at the Pan Pacs, he left the most successful Olympian of all time in his wake.
Lochte has much more to prove than Phelps because he has always been in the latter’s shadow, but Phelps has admittedly not been training as hard as he could be. With 16 total Olympic medals to his name, Phelps can easily break the record, 19, at 2012, and he said back in 2008 that he’ll likely retire after London. He’ll want to go out with a bang and like all world-class athletes, Phelps has an innate hatred for losing.
Phelps has never been much for the backstroke, where Lochte excels, and neither fancies the breast stroke. Phelps’ butterfly is unmatched by any swimmer in the world, and he also holds the edge in mid-distance freestyles. The real battle is in the medley events. Phelps has walked away from the 400 and had seemingly given up the 200 as well. His progress in the 100 meter freestyle wasn’t as good as he and his coach wanted. Lochte broke Phelps’ world record in the event last summer and beat him head-to-head this year, so Phelps will have his work cut out.
The competition between Lochte and Phelps is the stuff coaches dream of. Two players on one team pushing each other to be better and in the end, the team always comes out victorious. There’s no doubt that these are the two best swimmers in the world making each other better and the only question is who will be on top for Team USA in London.
[ source ]