Michael Phelps turns out happy at Irvine
Michael Phelps’s negative comments like ‘it was an awful swim’ and ‘that I was not in shape’ even after he wins a race is this great athlete’s trademark. Some people call it his conceit, while the others call it his humbleness. Ironic to this tradition, after winning a medal in the 400-metre freestyle relay on Friday night, the 21st of August, Michael Phelps did seem happy in Irvine, California at the Pan Pacific Championships 2010.
Giving such statements is sometimes used as a weapon against the competitors by making them over confident of their own performance in the pool by degrading one’s own. However, sports analysts have still not understood whether Phelps actually feels unsatisfied with his strokes in the pool or if it mere a sportsman tactic that he tries to use against his rivals.
Michael Phelps had a major role in pushing the US team towards winning the gold medal in the 400-metre freestyle on Friday night. Addressing the media after the great victory, Phelps did not pull out his signature lines of showing disappointment at his performance in the pull, but was rather seen content.
The great American swimmer was also captured smiling a couple of times. Ryan Lochte and Phelps were seen talking and joking about their next meet in the 200 metre individual medley scheduled on the Saturday evening. Phelps later pulled out from this event, leaving Lochte and his fans upset.
Phelps told the correspondents that he could feel that his energy was increasing and so was his pace as he could see that he passing by people. He gave a brilliant performance in the pool with his leading leg in the relay. He later told the media that he knew he was having a great swim.
As for the 100-metre butterfly event, which took place early in the day on Friday, he won the gold medal. He was seen somewhat displeased with the way he swam. However, he was seen joking about it later on. He said that he was about three or four tenths of a second slower half way through the race, which of course particularly disturbed him. He further added that the way he ended the race was something that should be appreciated. When he said that maintaining a good timing in the start of the meet was another thing that he needed to work on, he laughed about it.
Michael Phelps is the 14-time gold medallist at the Summer Olympics. At the Pan Pacific Championships he managed to win two gold medals in the individual events, while he also added to his credit list 2 relay titles. Most of the swimmers are of the view that earning a title in the relay races is more important than winning one in an individual event. Especially in major international sports events like this one. At the end of the Championships, Phelps had won a total of 4 gold medals, while his all time rival Ryan Lochte managed to take 5. Phelps did not take advantage of the opportunity he had to win another gold in the 200-metre individual medley, which took place on Saturday evening. A mutual decision of withdrawing from this race was taken by Michael Phelps and his coach Bob Bowman so that Phelps could conserve energy for the 4 into 100-metre medley relay that had to take place later on Saturday evening. He wanted to practise for his butterfly leg because he did not want to let his team down in the medley relay. However, Phelps did disappoint his competitors and his fans.
Phelps became the centre of attention of the sports news world after his coach, Bob, announced his withdrawal from the 200-metre individual medley at a press conference. According to many sports analysts, he decided to do so to keep him from swimming against Ryan Lochte as Lochte has defeated Phelps in the same event at the National Championships. Whatever the case may be, his withdrawal did not have any significant effect on his outstanding athletic career.
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