Michael Phelps is a legendary swimmer in the history of the Olympics. He has broken and created many World and Olympics records several times in his career. Indeed, Phelps is the best swimmer we have ever witnessed. Moreover, he has 28 Olympics medals, which is the most of any individual. Of these, 23 are gold medals, three silver, and two bronze.
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Many times, various people have asked questions about his over-dominating performances. How exactly does he pull off these performances? What are the reasons behind his excellence?
Michael Phelps’ historic performance in the Beijing Olympics led to several questions
Phelps‘ drive to succeed was his biggest strength. Particularly when it came to winning, he had the hunger like no one ever had. He always wanted to improve himself and stay ahead of his competitors. H. Richard Weiner, an internist, and a former team physician was once asked, “What accounts for Phelps’ success?” He answered, “Phelps’ good stroke mechanics, some people also have better [so-called] ‘locomotive genius'”.
He added, “Tiger Woods probably was not born being able to hit a ball 250 yards in a straight line, but hundreds of buckets of balls later, he developed such a skill”. So persistence, along with his skills, did the job for Phelps.
Can someone achieve extraordinary just with hard work?
There are numerous allegations, questions, and doubts about Phelps and his performances. It is just hard for people to believe that just stroke mechanics can make him such an extraordinary swimmer.
When asked about the ‘Natural physical gift’ arguments on Phelps, Weiner replied, “I’m sure if we could measure Phelps as much as we would like, we would find attributes better than average for swimming, but I don’t think we would find any glaring abnormalities”. But it is nothing like he has some superhuman capabilities that are helping him win again and again.
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Hence, one can be assured that there is nothing superhuman effect behind Phelps’ extraordinary run in the Olympics. Moreover, Phelps has worked hard on his skills to achieve excellence in his career.
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Watch this story: 611 ft Tall NBA Icon Kevin Durant With Michael Phelps in One of the Iconic Moments of Olympics
Michael Phelps worked with dedication, perseverance, and focus. He made people feel like he was doing it effortlessly. But it is not done that easily. It took decades of work to achieve what he has done. What do you think about Michael Phelps’ achievements?