Not sure if there’s any other thread that’s like this around, but if you have any Olympic predictions post them here. I’ll start it off with my predictions for the men’s 100m final:
- Crawford 9.85s
- Powell
- Mo
- Gatlin
I predict Phelps will not beat Spitz’ record…
Whoops too late! South Africa already won the 4x100m relay.
Okay then I predict the 200m freestyle will be won by Thorpe with van den Hoogenband in second and Phelps lucky if he’s in third.
I love it when I’m right!
Ironhead is amazing…such brash predictions. I predict the US will win the 200 fly and 200 back! Wow!
Incredible eh? 
Though I did call this last week - got the top three right too. 
I know it’s not hard when you consider Thorpe is the best freestyler of all time, but there were times waching NBC that they nearly convinced me that Phelps would beat anybody.
put each swimmers prs next to each other and it is very obvious…the only variables are event rounds or prelims. It’s not like you called the 4x100 win by the University of Arizona (S.A). I like Great Britain and SAs styles…lift heavy and keep the tubes away.
I want to know what those Hungarians do to make such great swimmers - when you look at the size of the country, the fact they’re land locked and the number of medals they’ve won and great swimmers they’ve produced - it’s quite amazing.
Canada should take a page from their books - we’ve embarrassed ourselves in the pool this year (Say excluded).
This will show my age but I remember the '74 Commonwealth Games and I’m sure Canada were the swimming powerhouse, ahead of Australia. I know that is a long time ago but how have they fallen away so much?
Well the last time we were shut out of swimming medals was the 1964 games in Tokyo.
In Sydney we won 1 medal (bronze for Curtis Myden in the IM).
We’ve never really had a fantastic presence in the pool. Here’s are Canada’s all time medal leaders in swimming:
Men:
George Hodgson - 2 gold (1912)
Alex Bauman - 2 gold (1984)
Victor Davis - 1 gold, 3 silver (1984, 1988)
Mark Tewksbury - 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze (1988, 1992)
Bruce Robertson - 1 silver, 1 bronze (1972)
George Vernot - 1 silver, 1 bronze (1912)
Mike West - 1 silver, 1 bronze (1984)
Curtis Myden - 3 bronze (1996, 2000)
Women:
Anne Ottenbrite - 1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze (1984)
Elaine Tanner - 2 silver, 1 bronze (1968)
Leslie Cliff - 1 silver (1972)
Cheryl Gibson - 1 silver (1976)
Marianne Limpert - 1 silver (1996)
Nancy Garapick - 2 bronze (1976)
Becky Smith - 2 bronze (1976)
Not really staggering numbers. Only four men and one woman have ever won a swimming gold. In fact, we’ve only won 4 more medals all-time than Sweden!
People really do need to cut some slack off of Mike Phelps, hes only 19 and he already has a gold and can plan on getting a few more medals if not gold in the olympics. Give him until Bejing and then he will make an even ore seirous andp ehraps break Spitz Medal record, let him get a little bit older first, his talent is limitless.
Did anybody hear the announcer say that Phelsp doesn’t even lift weights? If thats so then how can he have a physique like that?
Give him a break? Um how about no? Sure he’s a nice guy, and pretty humble if you ask me, but honestly, the American media is making him out to be something he isn’t. I feel sorry for the guy having to live up to being this swimming god - but let’s face it - there is only one Mark Spitz. I wasn’t around in 1972, but you can bet Speedo wasn’t giving Spitz a million dollars to win 8 gold medals. I’m glad Thorpe spanked him. At least now he can settle down a race without all the pressure.
In four years there will be another young gun who will come and challenge him - and probably beat him - swimmers seem to get faster every year.
It’s the typical American media thing where an athlete is hyped before he does the thing they’re hyping. Whatever happened to accomplishment first?
“Accomplishment first” went by the way side around the same time Hollywood stopped letting us decide which movies were blockbusters (anyone remember when the public was in on that one??).
The amazing thing is, great stories of human courage/talent/fortitude always appear but in the rush to be “first” with the scoop, the media (especially American media) likes to write them instead of report them.
They should sit back & let the cream rise to the top on it’s own, makes for way better television.
Give him a break? Um how about no?
So your going to crucify him for what the media is doing? I’m 110% sure he has nothign to do with that and that plain isn’t fair at all. I’m sure if he had the choice he would have the media stop what they are doing with him so he can relax a bit.
Spoken like those that follow swimming every four years…
Spitz was a product of great timing and Phelps is in my opinion the best swimmer to come out of the US in years. If he was as good looking as Biondi he would be selling more than speedos!
First let’s get into what happened in 1968 with the choking of Spitz…not too much talk there. The relays are far more compeditive then 20 years ago. Phelps is yes 19 and will be better on paper in 2008 provided he doesn’t get sick like Ian Crocker at the wrong time.
Spanked by Thorpe? Not really…the spanking happened in the 200IM last year at WC and little Ian had to duck out of Phelps land. Phelps is learnig a new event and imagine what he can doe four years form now in that same event. Thorpe is on the decline and uses that body suit to hide moms cooking, and Doug Frost is looking at the world record not being broken as a sign of trouble. At least Phelps didn’t do the 200 back and drop the duce to duck Ian. That is manly. Two medals for Thorpe…wow. I give the Aussies credit, but I most impressed with what Japan has done the last four years…Look for GB to be on the map in 2008.
A million bucks is nothing! This is why distance running sucks in america…why win the Boston Maration for a 100 grand? That is less than the medium income in my town. Swimmers get faster year to year because the events have rules or parameters to follow, while running is less artificial.
Phelps could win both flys, both Ims, two relays, and get two bronzes. 6 golds an two bronzes is no joke and he is better than most countries. For a country that get’s crap for talent after the volleyball, basketball, football, and baseball is raided…we get a few swimmers.
Well said Clemson. Also, since this is the Olympic predictions thread (not specifying the year) do you think any of your swimmers will be at the big show in 2008?
Nope…I have had a few go to trials but none of them had a chance…for example one swimmer of mine will most likely break the state record and not even go to a fast D1 school.
I do have a 10 year old that will go to 2012…when you have a six pack hands bigger than mine with feet bigger than mine, she has the tools. Add in she is a club record holder…
Spitz hyped himself up (declared he would win 6 golds) and failed to deliver in Mexico City - Phelps’ hype is the product of an American media that rewards athletes for accomplishments that they haven’t even acheived yet. And what’s even worse is now that he failed to break Spitz mark this year, some analysts (Gaines on NBC) are already saying he’ll do it 2008! Ridiculous!
I agree with you about Thorpe, but let’s be honest, how much drive and desire is he going to have when he’s a multi-millionaire at the age of 17 and is treated like a rock star everywhere he goes? You have to expect him to get a bit soft. The fact that he came to the games and beat a younger and hungrier man in the so-called “race of the century” shows you that he’s a bit more talented than you’re giving him credit for. (btw isn’t Thorpe coached by Tracey Menzies? I thought he ditched Frost 2 years ago)
You’re right though - 6 golds and 2 bronze is incredible! I honestly hope he doesn’t choke on the rest of the races. I think he’ll be fine now that some of the pressure is off and the US public can see that he’s not a machine and that he can lose.
While we’re predicting outcomes - Canada is going to win gold in Men’s baseball.
Clemson - is that brash enough?