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Even Zeus Was Impressed
Gold medals are a pretty cool thing to accumulate and make space for on the shelf and every collection has to start with that first piece.
Or race.
Michael Phelps, competing in the 400m Individual Medley (as seen above) at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, started his gold medal legacy. And with a world record, no less. That’s just crazy impressive. The greatest swimmer in the sport’s history, by every modern standard and measure, has been dominating in the pool and with casual sports fans alike for a dozen years. Perhaps the most surreal reality, however, is that Michael Phelps isn’t finished in Rio.
His pursuit for gold continues.
Simply put: Michael Phelps is defining his own Gold Rush era with his stellar performances spanning the past few summer Olympics.
The Rolling Michael Phelps Gold Medal Count: 22.
21/20 Vision
Champions are always focused in one direction.
Michael Phelps defeated his ready room rival Chad le Clos in the 200m butterfly tonight in the Rio Olympics. The photo above perfectly encapsulates this week’s 1 v 1 battle between Mr. Phelps and Mr. le Clos. The latter was animated against the former before the semifinal race yesterday and the final tonight, which saw the former winning both races.
For clarity’s sake: Michael Phelps swam faster than Chad le Clos in the semifinal and final races, which ultimately translated to Mr. Phelps winning gold. Chad le Clos may have won the unofficial dance-off between the two, but Michael Phelps officially won his 20th gold medal.
Not his 20th medal, but his 20th Olympic gold medal.
And Chad le Clos didn’t even reach the medal podium for the 200m butterfly. You could say his antics led to a Fool’s Gold performance.
P.S. Update: Michael Phelps and the 4 x 200m relay team from the United States just won a gold medal.
The Rolling Michael Phelps Gold Medal Count: 21.
Happy Monday!
US-A!
U.S. gymnast Gabby Douglas trained in Columbus, Ohio for the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro (hence the revamped US-A chant above) and she’s already making Americans proud early into the competition.
The medal round (so-to-speak) is still a ways off, but after watching the American gymnast struggle in her qualifying performances to just make the Olympics, the announcer was spot-on:
It’s nice to see Gabby Douglas smile.
Have an Inspired Week!
SOS (Sigi’s Outta Seattle)
(Sigi Schmid)
Unlike Frasier, Sigi Schmid will sign-off from Seattle without a shelf full of awards.
Sigi Schmid, the now former head soccer coach of the Seattle Sounders (and mid-season, no less) will now be afforded an intriguing future that could very well pin his resume beside Jürgen Klinsmann’s resume. At 63 years of age, Mr. Schmid, barring an unknown physical condition/restriction or family issue, has many years left to lead a soccer club.
Or national team?
On the plus side, Mr. Schmid compiled a team in the Columbus Crew that had a few familiar names (foreign and domestic) and nearly an entire roster of virtual unknowns that put together one of the best MLS Cup runs in the league’s history. That championship, the first MLS Cup for the Crew, was hoisted with fanfare in 2008 in Los Angeles. And fans remember that special title from eight years ago.
On the negative side, his teams in Seattle, while filled with young and excitingly promising talent, was mostly just that: promising. On a further negative note, Mr. Schmid’s squads are typically anchored by a foreign star near or slightly above his prime. Consider that arguably the greatest dilemma for the USMNT (United States Men’s National Team) is transitioning from the current/older roster of players from the past two World Cups towards a revolution of youth and unknown chemistry, so to speak.
Could Sigi Schmid find his creative stroke circa Columbus Crew 2008 again?
Possibly.
At the same time, recall Sigi Schmid failed to win the MLS Cup in Seattle with the Sounders with all the money and resources thrown his way. And winning the MLS Cup was the purpose of his hire.
This debate will slowly intensify and U.S. Soccer has to move fast to determine if results and style against the best national teams in the world hold any significance in maintaining or appointing the USMNT head coach. U.S. Soccer can illogically stick with Mr. Klinsmann (when an artist paints a frustratingly repetitive and dismal future for an audience craving optimism, hire a new artist) or fire and then hire a new manager with an exciting and dynamic vision with a proven record of success at either the club or with a national team at the highest level.
Interestingly, the word “fired” hasn’t been used to describe the “parting of ways” between Sigi Schmid and the Sounders organization. Perhaps Seattle’s MLS brass foresaw a firing as a self-admittance and declaration of going 0-8 at trying to win the MLS Cup. Was it just bad luck? Note that this kind of streak didn’t exist when Sigi Schmid managed the massive Columbus Crew. Maybe that was then and this is now?
As Frasier Crane would say, with authority, wit and his piercing glare, “there are no accidents.”
We’ll have to wait and see if U.S. Soccer executives agree with that psychological diagnosis whilst eating tossed salads and scrambled eggs.
P.S. Frasier’s logic also applies to current USMNT head coach Jürgen Klinsmann.
Jimmy's Daily Planet 