Making it to the 2012 olympics?

Question

my friend and i had an argument the night that phelps won his 8th gold medal. we are both 18. and he said that if he trained for the next 3-4 years that he could make it to the olympics. he has no club/team experience but he does know how to swim. if he does practice really really really hard, is there any way that he could qualify for the 2012 olympics? if not the 2016 olympics? (giving him more time to practice)

Answer 1

Phelps trains about 6 hours a day on swimming nearly every single day.

If you can do that for 8 straight years, sure why not?

Answer 2

sure, keep practicing and believe and maybe he'll be the next Micheal Phelps  lol, but anyways keep practicing really hard, if not the 2012 olympics, the 2016 will probably be his year.

Answer 3

If he had natural talent that was then enhanced with solid training, then possibly.

I'm sure he'd have to become part of some club though, to actually get noticed for the Olympics in the first place. He could become the fastest swimmer in the world in his backyard pool, but if no-one knows about it, he's not going to get to London 2012.

Answer 4

Yes of course, it's never too late, but at that age you must have some sort of natural gift.  Phelps had good training but he was born a d**n good swimmer.  No amount of advanced training can win you 8 golds in one month.....

Answer 5

At 18 I knew how to play basketball, but knew I had no chance of making that Olympic team.

Look at the male swimmers: Phelps is about the same size as the others, and he's 6'4".  His reach is 6'7".  He's trained since at age 7.  He's unequaled in his work and dedication.  He trains with the best coaches in the world at state-of-the-art facilities.  And he still barely won some of his races.

I don't want to say your friend's way wrong, but unless he has bushels of latent untapped talent, I will and to his face.  It's not as if the other swimmers will cut him any breaks.

If your friend even gets invited to the US Olympic Trials in 2012, I will happily admit being wrong to his face.

Answer 6

i doubt it

Answer 7

practice? what do you think he's doing right now?