Did Michael Phelps actually win that last race?

Question

I do not think he did, it looked like the serb had his hands on the wall before phelps did. Notice how they never showed a slow motion under water review just a full speed one. What are your thoughts?

Answer 1

i was iffy on that one too. it was hard to tell, i thought the serb got his hand there first, but hey what can you do?

Answer 2

Well your wrong because on UK TV i saw a super-slomo underwater shot and he did touch first so

SUCK IT HATER

Answer 3

yes he did win! the other guy got to the wall at the same time as him but he didnt get his head above the water first phelps did!

Answer 4

They did end up showing a super slow motion one. And yes, the officials decided that he won by an out touch. I also do believe that they showed the finish underwater.  

Answer 5

My initial reaction when I watched it was yes, he reached and got there first. On the next replay from above and behind I was not so sure. In fact, I found myself frustrated that it was not more clear. I have always found sports and rulings to be fishy and have always desired clarity and complete legitimacy and transparency, so I was almost unconsciously frustrated with my uncertainty over the whole ruling. A bit of a cloud hung over the race for me. So I quickly went online and did some research, saw videos showing it from underwater and from various different angles, at extremely slow speeds. I am now adequately convinced that he did actually win the race. As you watch you see Cavic cruising in at a relatively slow speed in slow-mo, completely outstretched as his hand approaches the wall for what feels like forever. You continue to focus in on his hand, while Phelps is swinging his arms in at a much higher velocity. By the time the smallest frame is up (by the camera's limits), Phelps and Cavic are both on the wall, without question. From the top it may look as if Cavic is on the wall but this is merely a shadow and likely not the case. Similarly, from behind the light is refracted downward so his hand appears to be closer to the wall than it is on the back-top angle. Phelps actually touched above the water on the wall what was likely a fraction of a moment before the Serb got his hand to it. My final conclusion is that Mike won, if you observe from all camera angles. What is important to note, however, is that you can not focus on both Mike's hand which comes flying in almost from nowhere and Cavic's slow cruising speed at the end of his last stroke. No question that Mike is beyond him approaching this point, but the question is if he touches first. The answer, however, is not up to the human eye, because the human eye simply can not differentiate between such short intervals of time. The mind is just not capable of processing these differences; A computer, however, is. I myself have always been suspicious of refereeing and am the first to ponder the motives, financial, commercial etc. of shady calls and decisions in sports, but this is not of the same nature it does not appear. Trusting your eye over a computer is like betting on George St. Pierre in a fight with a tank. Even the best trained fighters are just completely over matched. Even the most trained observers just can not see such differences. As a human you must realize your limitations. This is why we have computers. Even impressive men can not calculate this. Unless one had convincing evidence besides legend-creating, that Michael Phelps was somehow given the gold through some sort of rigging, I am almost entirely trusting of the electronic system. On matters that you can not see or understand, sometimes you have to be. There is just no firm ground to stand on in making the claim that he lost. I would not just say that if it were just convenient to accept that he won, and that there is nothing anyone can do about it. It is not that at all. It is completely legitimate in my opinion, even if it is hard to see, it is only so because the other guy appears ahead when Michael's hand comes careening in and you can not see both at the same time. I know of no situation where the system has gotten it wrong. Michael Phelps is a special guy, and he just manages to win races no one thinks he will, or can, even after he's finished! But make no mistake about it, he does. There is no reason to give this person anything but our most sincere obeisance. Congratulations to him...7 time Gold medal champion just thus far in this Olympics.

Answer 6

Yeah he did. That Serbian guy (I think) was gliding to the wall. Phelps literally slapped the wall and got his hands there faster.  

Answer 7

yes he did. they just finalized a decision by looking back at the omega replays. he won.

Answer 8

There is no way they could've pulled off a conspiracy like that in that short amount of time. The silver medalist would have to protest, we'll see if he does.

they just reshowed it from underneath, in slow-mo... Phelps did indeed touch first.

Answer 9

look closer yall the serb completely missed the time pad he had to dropp his palms to touch the pad and in that time phelps had already touched the pad, close and good race

Answer 10

"The Serbian delegation filed a protest, but conceded that Phelps won after reviewing the tape provided by FINA, swimming's governing body. USA Swimming spokeswoman Jamie Olson said the tape was slowed to one frame every 10-thousandth of a second to make sure Phelps actually touched first."

Crazy, huh?

Answer 11

NOPE he did.

7th golds in one olmpic! whoo

every medal is a gold!

I think he won fair and square

he is AMAZING!

GO PHELPS!

Answer 12

My first thought was OMG! Looked like that one went to the other guy but thank goodness for the DVR and replays over and over again my family argued for about 30 minutes....but you always get the information from the internet...blogs...(smile) Thank you , those of you who knew about the electronic sensors...now I can go to bed! Go Michael! Great interview w/Mark Spitz! and Go Team USA!

Nikki & Ashli!

Answer 13

they just said they guy who came in 2nd is protesting the result with officals. It was very cose, to close to see by sight. i mean .01 seconds you cant see that even in slow motion. It just sucks that there has to be conterversy over it.

Answer 14

I agree totally he did not win this race the other guy did. I think their giving him a break because he has the most gold medals in history.

Answer 15

Let the conspiracy theories begin! How can anybody lose a race when you're an arms length ahead with centimetres remaining? Did the U.S Government give Serbia a "gift" before the race?

Answer 16

yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa he did i saw the replay and the half stroke instead of the glide from the other lane guy got him the gold medal! GO MICHAEL PHELPS TEAM USA

Answer 17

I was thinkng the same thing. Tommorow morning we will be seeing this debated. The censors could be broken, it is made by people and as sophisticated as it is it is NOT perfect.

I'm HOPING I'm wrong but I'm not going to be a tool for the media. I'm not arguing conspiracy but we want it so bad that we want to believe it.

Answer 18

He won every single one so far. As in, he got Gold in every single race...

Answer 19

C'mon all you doubters. Phelps won fair and square according to the electronic touch pad. Chinese conspiracy -- gimme a break. The touchpads are re-calibrated before every single race -- and not by the Chinese gov't, but by the International Olympic Committee. If you've watched a good share of the swimming, certainly you've noticed that there were other awfully close races (in which Phelps was not a participant) where the touchpad told a different story that what TV viewers saw with the naked eye.

Answer 20

The only issue is how much pressure it takes to trip the sensor. Could the Serbian have touched it lightly before Michael slammed into the sensor? We'll see what the powers at be say in the review. For those of you who point out foul play, the sensors are tripped and the times immediately show up on the screen in the cube. There isn't a middle man so no one could have tampered with the times. Just heard from NBC, it's official that  Phelps won.

Answer 21

I do, the 2 old chinese men and the abacus said so.

Hope this helps!

I AM A PHELPS PHAN!

Answer 22

Doesn't matter what it looked like.  

When they touch the wall is all done electronically.  

It isn't like someone just makes a judgement call.  That would have been impossible in this race.  

Answer 23

each lane has a clock. the clocks are connected to a computer. there are sensors on the wall that the swimmers touch. whn you touch the clock stops and the times are shown on the judges computer. he won by 1/100th of a second. get over it.

Answer 24

Electronic touch pads.  He won by 1/100th of a second so you can't tell for sure by the naked eye.  The serb was under water so you don't have a clear look at the exact moment his hands hit the wall.  

The walls don't lie.

Answer 25

yes he won!!!

it looks like they touch a wall but its really a

touch-sensitive sensor thingy

it comes in handy for close calls like this, doesnt it?

Answer 26

Well, they just said on NBC's coverage, they use electronic pads to register exactly when each swimmer touched the wall. So, no matter how close it was or what it looked like, he did touch first.

Answer 27

The Serbs' hands were already on the wall. Michael Phelps lost.

Here's my Michael Phelps conspiracy theory ...

More than anything, the Chinese want these Olympic Games to recast their global image. To do that effectively, you need millions and millions of Americans to tune into the Games. With dropping interest in the Games, the Chinese organizers needed an athlete that could captivate Americans.

Phelps' first six races were obviously won fair and square. But is it possible they rigged the electronic system so that it wouldn't spoil the best story in Olympic history? Eight Olympic medals in one games?

These Olympics will be burned into the memories of Americans ... in a very positive way ... forever. And, through association, Americans will have a more positive image of China.

Ultimately, the Chinese goal is achieved.

Answer 28

Just who do you think would have "fixed the race" for him?

You would be talking about a deep seated conspiracy, starting with the Olympic Swimming Committee, FINA - the international ruling body for swim competitions, and Omega - the timing vendor, which gives instantaneous results.

Swimming is a timed race, not like juried events such as diving or gymnastics.

Answer 29

they did show a slow motion one... and he took an extra half stroke so it was hard to tell if he won thats what they said or something. i think he won. im pretty sure they would purposly make US win because all the judges cheat on the americans anyway!!

Answer 30

You are right, it is impossible to see 1/100th of a second....that is why they have the electronic touch pads.  They have been in use for a long time now.  The way it works....you touch it, and it records the time.....so the first person to touch, wins........no matter how large or small the difference in time.  No 2 golds.

Answer 31

My TV broadcaster showed the slow mo replay... Phelps managed to get his hands on the wall first (barely)... my heart nearly popped!