FanNation - The Republic of Sport

It is amazing how short a span of time is really represented by one-hundredth of one second. For some, that hundredth signals a sigh of relief on the road to history; for others, those hundredths linger on the consciousness forever, haunting the afflicted with nightmares of what might have been. Yet others view those hundredths as an opportunity for celebration long after the battle has been won...

As life meanders on in its chaotic Nietzschian course, those hundredths of a second transmogrify themselves into works of art. For a man like Michael Phelps, the artistry takes the form of domination in a manner never before witnessed. Moments of panic merge with moments of exultation and relief to culminate in a masterpiece like last night's medley relay. Phelps, with humility and chlorinated water dripping from his LZR Racer, now stands as the undisputed Gilded King of the Olympiad. With his victory the previous evening over Milorad Cavic, the California-raised Serbian who had the best chance of any of felling the invincible Phelps, Phelps chopped his way level with Mark Spitz and came into last night's race with the unprecedented opportunity to take over the record. Teammate Brendan Hansen almost had it in to spoil the party in a way even Cavic couldn't...

Hansen, the breaststroke specialist who saw his opportunity to better his 200-meter bronze from Athens dashed by Eric Shanteau among others at the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials, nearly cost the Americans the race in his leg of the 400-meter medley relay. Still seeming shaken by both his missed opportunity in the 200 and the loss of his world record to Kosuke Kitajima of Japan, Hansen was subpar for such a champion these Olympics. Putting the Americans in the dubious position of third as he touched the wall to spring Phelps, it came onto Michael's shoulders to determine his own fate. And those shoulders, in their fluid butterfly stroke, made up all the time necessary as he allowed team anchor Jason Lezak to set off for the final freestyle leg first into the pool.

Just as he did for Phelps in the 400 free relay, Lezak again managed to hold off all comers to deliver gold to the man who, halfway through his schedule, already had more than any other Olympian has accrued in the twenty-nine runnings of the athletic festival. From the agony of defeat to the thrill of victory, Phelps now sits on eighth heaven. He luckily is the kind of man of character who can do justice to his new-found superstardom. From his eschewing the trappings of luxury to stay in the Olympic Village to his unflagging reverence of Mark Spitz, the artistry that is his pool prowess belies that humility which sets a positive example for the inevitable multitudes of children who will now set out to pools across the country. No greater endorsement, in my opinion, could come than the one offered by Spitz himself: "Somebody told me years ago you judge one's character by the company you keep, and I'm just happy to be in the company of Michael Phelps."

Other Olympians, suffering on the opposite side of the "hundredth" spectrum, would do well to remember this maxim. Each and every one, from Tyson Gay (who missed out on the dream showdown in the 100-meter dash by placing fifth in his semifinal heat) and Usain Bolt (who shaved hundredths from the world-record pace in that 100 despite dancing to the line) to Cavic and Dana Torres (one hundredth had the 41-year-old swimmer losing gold and stepping down to silver), can hold his or her head high. The company they keep is that of a long line of Olympians, of whom Phelps is now simply the most decorated. Regardless of the metal in the medal or whether there is even one hanging from one's neck, all these athletes can now say that they represented their nations with dignity and respect. For if one is judged by the company he or she keeps, then all the slaves to the hundredth can take solace in their gilded place in sporting history...