Sports Column
The End of An Era
The last day of swimming in the 2016 Rio Olympics marked the finally of a legendary career that we may never have the pleasure of witnessing again in our lifetimes.
Ryan Murphy, Cody Miller, Michael Phelps, and Nathan Adrian closed out the 2016 Rio Olympics with a race that will go down in history — not only as a terrific win for the USA Olympic Swim Team, but as an emotional conclusion to Michael Phelps iconic Olympic career.
Murphy opened the 4x100 Men’s Medley Relay with a strong 100 meter backstroke, giving the USA a significant lead with a World Record split time of 51.94 seconds. Russia followed closely in second as Cody Miller leaped into the pool.
Miller tried his hardest to maintain the lead in the 100 meter breaststroke but the swimmer from Great Britain pushed his way up pool to partake in a neck and neck race with Miller. Both men raced for that World Record split time, but Great Britain came out on top giving them about a one second lead before Phelps gracefully dove into the water that one last time.
It was his turn. It was the third leg of the relay race that we were all excited to see, but deep down we were dreading.
Phelps trailed Great Britain on the first 50 meters, but pushed forward through the exhaustion of an emotional long day’s worth of events to surpass Great Britain and give Nathan Adrian a slight advantage.
Adrian brought it home for the gold for the final event in the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics for the USA Swim Team; and more importantly, to help Phelps exit his last Olympics with a close win.
Yet, the final medley relay left something to be desired.
Maybe it was the lack of that iconic ‘back slap’ on the starting blocks we have come to know and love and competitors have come to fear. Or maybe we just are not quite ready to accept that we may never see our beloved Michael Phelps win gold in an Olympic pool ever again.
As Adrian touched the wall to finish the race, the crowd jumped to their feet. Every person in the room — no matter what country they were from — had tears in their eyes as they watched the greatest Olympic athlete huddle with his unbeatable relay team and thank them for helping him win one last time. As the rest of the swimmers cleared the deck, the audience watched as Phelps doubled over overwhelmed with emotion as the realization that he had just finished his last race in an Olympic arena finally sunk in.
Phelps has had an undeniably outstanding Olympic career; breaking record after record to become the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time with a collection of twenty-eight Olympic medals: twenty-three gold, three silver and two bronze (“Michael Phelps”).
But his career meant more to the world than just the number of medals he accumulated and groundbreaking records he demolished over the past five Olympic Summer Games he competed in.
He was a charismatic Olympian that everyone liked and could relate to. He wasn’t — and isn’t perfect — he has had his flaws with drugs and depression; but, his ability to overcome these struggles in such a public manner has humanized this superhero we call Michael Phelps.
Not only was Phelps able to crush boundaries by pushing the limits of the human body, but his supernatural speed and strength broke down barriers between countries.
When Phelps was in the pool, everyone’s eyes were on him and everyone cheered for him to win regardless of their nationality.
As Murphy, Miller, Phelps and Adrian lined up on the podium — alongside Great Britain who finished second and Australia who came in third — it was obvious Phelps was holding back tears.
He finally let it out when National Anthem began to play. A huge smile spread across his face as tears dripped from his eyes. This was it — the last time we would see Michael Phelps, our all-American hero, stand on the first place podium in an Olympic Games.
“I’m just ready for something different . . . My swimming career might be over, but I have the future ahead of me. It’s not the end of a career, [it’s] the beginning of a new journey,” Phelps told NBC (“I’m Ready for Something Different’: Michael Phelps Wins Gold in Last Olympic Race as Family Tears Up in Stands”).
The music faded and the teams shook hands as sad smiles flooded the room. It was a somber ending but as teammate Ryan Lochte said, “. . . I don’t think he was finished . . . I don’t think he ever will be”.
Michael Phelps claimed this would be his “potential last Olympics”, but have we really seen the last of the G.O.A.T.?
The Greatest Of All Time.
Works Cited
“I’m Ready for Something Different’: Michael Phelps Wins Gold in Last Olympic Race as Family Tears Up in Stands.” PEOPLE.com, people.com/sports/michael-phelps-wins-gold-in-last-olympic-race-in-rio/.
“Michael Phelps.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 29 Mar. 2018, www.biography.com/people/michael-phelps-345192.
