As the summer swim season starts Memorial Day weekend, water quality and health experts have a message for swimmers: Please don't pee in the pool.
In his first competition since winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics last summer, Michael Phelps came to the Charlotte Ultraswim meet in North Carolina well-rested and with some new style: he debuted a new straight-arm or "windmill" stroke technique for some of his freestyle events, a stroke that allows him to slice throw the water more efficiently.
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps suffered his first defeat in a championship race in a year when he lost the 100-meter backstroke to world-record holder Aaron Peirsol at the Charlotte UltraSwim in North Carolina.
Michael Phelps -- the Olympic gold-medal swimmer who jumped into hot water over a photo of him holding a bong -- has returned to competition for the first time since the Beijing Olympics.
"I really had no idea what to do," says the Olympian of first finding out about the bong photo
When Kellogg's dumped its endorsement of Michael Phelps after a photograph surfaced of the Olympic gold medalist using a bong, the company was stuck with thousands of boxes of cereal featuring the swimmer's image.
The Olympic champ apologizes again and warns young people about making decisions
Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps will not face criminal charges in connection with a November party at which he was photographed using a bong, a South Carolina sheriff said Monday.
Quite the stink over Michael Phelps' dalliance with the wacky tobaccy. With The Fuzz in South Carolina all fired up to press charges, we have the usual role model hand-wringing and clacking of calculators in damage assessment mode as a pungent cloud drifts over Phelps' endorsement future.
Olympic champion Michael Phelps said Friday that he is grateful for the support of friends, family and most of his sponsors, and is focusing on his training in the wake of disciplinary action after a photo surfaced of him smoking from a bong.
As the summer swim season starts Memorial Day weekend, water quality and health experts have a message for swimmers: Please don't pee in the pool.
In his first competition since winning eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics last summer, Michael Phelps came to the Charlotte Ultraswim meet in North Carolina well-rested and with some new style: he debuted a new straight-arm or "windmill" stroke technique for some of his freestyle events, a stroke that allows him to slice throw the water more efficiently.
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps suffered his first defeat in a championship race in a year when he lost the 100-meter backstroke to world-record holder Aaron Peirsol at the Charlotte UltraSwim in North Carolina.
Michael Phelps -- the Olympic gold-medal swimmer who jumped into hot water over a photo of him holding a bong -- has returned to competition for the first time since the Beijing Olympics.
"I really had no idea what to do," says the Olympian of first finding out about the bong photo
When Kellogg's dumped its endorsement of Michael Phelps after a photograph surfaced of the Olympic gold medalist using a bong, the company was stuck with thousands of boxes of cereal featuring the swimmer's image.
The Olympic champ apologizes again and warns young people about making decisions
Olympic swimming champion Michael Phelps will not face criminal charges in connection with a November party at which he was photographed using a bong, a South Carolina sheriff said Monday.
Quite the stink over Michael Phelps' dalliance with the wacky tobaccy. With The Fuzz in South Carolina all fired up to press charges, we have the usual role model hand-wringing and clacking of calculators in damage assessment mode as a pungent cloud drifts over Phelps' endorsement future.
Olympic champion Michael Phelps said Friday that he is grateful for the support of friends, family and most of his sponsors, and is focusing on his training in the wake of disciplinary action after a photo surfaced of him smoking from a bong.
The Olympian's behavior "is not consistent with the image of Kellogg," the corn flake company says
Olympic hero Michael Phelps was suspended from competitive swimming for three months on Thursday -- just hours after one of his sponsors announced it would not renew his contract after a photo surfaced of him smoking from a bong.
The swimmer says telling his mom about the pot shot was the toughest part
The local police department "is making an effort to determine if Mr. Phelps broke the law" when he was snapped with a bong
A South Carolina sheriff's office is investigating whether Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps smoked marijuana on the University of South Carolina campus.
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps has acknowledged he engaged in "regrettable" behavior and "demonstrated bad judgment," after a British newspaper published a photograph of the swimmer smoking from a bong.
How wrong we were. With his laid-back vibe and skateboard collection, Ryan Lochte was the Olympic swimmer who most reminded us of Jeff Spicoli. But clearly, it is Michael Phelps, among the Speedo set, who best embodies the true spirit of Ridgemont High's best-known stoner.
The swimmer expresses regret after being shown in a photo apparently smoking marijuana
Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps admitted to "regrettable" behavior Sunday and vowed it wouldn't happen again after a British newspaper published a photograph of the swimmer smoking from a bong.
Great ones find a way. You get a sense that even if Craig Ehlo and Bryon Russell were guarding Michael Jordan together, he would shoot over or around them; if Tiger Woods was surrounded by an ocean and a desert, he could birdie the 18th; if Lance Armstrong had to cycle the Tour de France vertically, he could reach the roof before the Italian team crossed the street on flat pavement; and if someone drafted a 4x6 goalie, he still couldn't stop Wayne Gretzky in overtime of Game 7.
The Olympian is putting on pounds and enjoying the easy life
Michael Phelps was named SI 2008 Sportsman of the Year on Tuesday. Here are several stories and photo galleries chronicling Phelps' rise to glory over the years:
The party of the year in the swimming world took place not in Beijing's Water Cube in August but in a New York City hotel ballroom the week before Thanksgiving. The occasion was the Golden Goggle Awards, the Oscars of the amphibious set, and most of the 43 members of the U.S. Olympic swim team turned out for the splashy event. With their short skirts, high heels and ripped biceps the women were visions of powerful femininity. The dudes wore their tuxedos ironically, with shaggy hair and bow ties askew. Before the awards show began, there was a rip-roaring cocktail hour. The view of midtown Manhattan from the ballroom revealed the grand old Ziegfeld Theatre, which on this night was hosting a red-carpet premiere for the latest overwrought Hollywood drama. Despite the constellation of paparazzi flashes the assembled actors couldn't match the star power at the Golden Goggles.
The Olympic champ brings Caroline "Caz" Pal to Baltimore for Thanksgiving
This year's eight-time gold medalist says he'll "do nothing" until February
"My mom is by far the most important woman in my life," he says of the female attention
The multi-medalist swimmer's wardrobe will include a Speedo when he hosts Saturday Night Live
From Vegas to the VMAs, the swimmer says he's having a blast since the Olympics
"He's gonna be naked in all the sketches I write!" promises Kristen Wiig
"I could see him coming back as one of the boys," the actor says of the Olympian
"I never said I have a girlfriend, and I never said I don't have a girlfriend," the Olympic gold medalist tells PEOPLE
The gold medalist swims with New York City kids to promote his favorite sport
The Olympian is being given a hero's welcome at the Orlando resort on Friday
The Golden Boy chats with Woods – and crosses paths with Misty May-Treanor – at a Manhattan party
The 14-time Olympic Gold-medalist will kick off show's 34th season next month
We asked the Sports Illustrated writers who covered the Beijing Olympics to leave us with their indelible memory of the Games.
The record-setting American calls the ceremony a "great start" to the 2012 games
The two swimmers are seen in their Speedos – and also kissing!
• How do you unwind in Beijing if you’re eight-time gold-medalist Michael Phelps? You have drinks by the pool – not in it! The Olympian turned up at Beijing's Club Bud, the multi-level nightclub in the Chaoyang district designed by Anheuser-Busch, and spent the night in poolside cabanas along with fellow team members Ryan Lochte, Matt Grevers and Natalie Coughlin. Of course, they didn't go unnoticed – fans asked Phelps to pose for photos, and he didn't seem to mind. "A lot of people wanted to get close to him," says the guest. "But he looked pretty happy to hang out with everyone."
In quick succession, I've been asked to lend my presumed wisdom to the following ascending questions:
The Olympic swimming champ's grrrreatest moments will be remembered Kellogg's cereal boxes
The record breaking Olympian strikes an iconic pose
Olympic swimmers broke 25 world records at Beijing's Water Cube over the course of the nine-day swimming program. To put that number into perspective, consider this: the only Olympics in which more marks fell was at the Montreal Games in 1976 (30), the first Olympics where goggles were used. Being able to see underwater, which allowed swimmers to plan their turns before their heads smacked the wall, made for a big drop in times. During the ensuing 32 years, the sport has had a steady stream of technical advances ?better training tools like short fins, ergonomically-designed hand paddles, and the full body suit designs that debuted in Sydney in 2000. All of these things were helpful, of course, but there's been nothing as seismic as the advent of goggles.
He also faces huge sponsor deals – such as $50 million from Nike, alone
Having completed his Olympics gold rush, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps is now poised to make another haul -- this time of the endorsement variety.
The swimmer takes the crown for most gold medals at a single Olympics
The American swimmer nabs his seventh medal in a come-from-behind win
BEIJING -- On a sticky Sunday morning when history and mythology were intertwined, a 23-year-old swimmer with the slack-jawed smile and an acute sense of the moment churned through Lane 4 of the Water Cube and into sports immortality and the common currency of the English language. In rewriting swimming and Olympic history with his eighth gold medal, Michael Phelps was rewriting the dictionary. As backstroker Aaron Peirsol, who started the 4x100 medley relay, would say, "The term Spitzian might be outdated now by the Phelpsian feat."
Michael Phelps won his record eighth gold medal of the Beijing Games on Sunday to become the grandest of Olympic champions
Well, there's always 48 Hours Mystery on CBS, and ABC appears to be showing another can't-miss episode of Eli Stone. Of course, if you're reading this, it's a safe bet you'll be watching the Michael Phelps coronation. If Phelps and his teammates win the 4x100 medley relay (bet the house, the vacation house and all your other possessions on it), he will become the all-time leader in gold medals in a single games with eight. The scheduled time of the race is 10:58 p.m., the final event of the swimming program in Beijing. "The U.S. should win unless something goes wrong," says Sports Illustrated's Brian Cazeneuve. "But keep in mind that the last time they swam this event at a major competition -- the world championships in 2007 -- something went very wrong. The team was disqualified because of an illegal exchange. Barring that, I just don't think there is a team with four swimmers at the level of the U.S."
The supermodel talks about how she met the gold medalist years before this historic Olympiad
Michael Phelps ties Spitz' record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics in a controversial split-second win
Michael Phelps swam into history with a magnificent finish Saturday, tying Mark Spitz with his seventh gold medal of this Olympics
Michael Phelps' bid to win an unprecedented eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics is loaded with land mines, or perhaps water mines, in several individual events and at least one relay. This is a look at what Phelps has in store during the nine days of swimming events. Remember that all finals will take place during the mornings in Beijing, which is 12 hours ahead of East Coast time in the U.S. The morning swimming sessions begin at 10:00 AM in Beijing; evening sessions begin at 6:30 PM.
The American swimmer wins his sixth gold medal in Beijing – two to go ...
If carb-loading were an Olympic competition, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps would probably medal there, too. His day starts with three cheese-tomato-onion-fried egg sandwiches, an omelet, three powdered-sugar-covered slices of French toast, a bowl of grits and three chocolate chip pancakes to top it off, according to news reports.
When he's not winning gold medals, the swimmer relaxes with the documentary series Planet Earth
"I'll be happy to stand aside and let him carry the torch," says the earlier record holder
Not even a pair of leaky goggles could keep the swimmer from earning his 10th and 11th gold medals
BEIJING -- On Wednesday, Michael Phelps won gold medals in the 200-meter butterfly and 4x200-meter relay to increase his career total to 11 Olympic golds, the most by any athlete in any sport in the history of the Games. Phelps had been tied with four others, each of whom had nine. You could make a case for each of those athletes, and for Phelps, as the greatest Olympic athlete in history.
That's "Greatest Olympian of All Time," and after his Aug. 13 dip in the pool, the title is all his
American swimmer Michael Phelps remains on course for his target of eight Beijing gold medals after winning his third event of the Games, taking the men's 200-meter freestyle in a new world record time -- his third in a row.
The U.S. men were world beaters (and world-record beaters) on Tuesday at the Water Cube in Beijing, as both Michael Phelps and Aaron Peirsol blitzed their own world marks. Phelps started off the celebration with a controlled, confident performance in one of his more dominant events, the 200-meter freestyle, to lower his mark from 1:43.86 to 1:42.96. It was the ninth gold medal of Phelps' stellar career, tying him for most all-time with fellow swimmer Mark Spitz, track star Carl Lewis, Finnish distance legend Paavo Nurmi and Russian gymnast Larissa Latynina. An hour later, Peirsol came back with a superb swim, dropping his standard from 52.89 seconds to 52.54. Neither veteran was seriously challenged over the last part of his race, and most eyes were alternating between the pool and scoreboard clock to see which records would fall.
He cuts through the water like he's shredding through the record books at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
The swimmer continues to dominate Olympics, setting a new world record in the 200-meter freestyle
After breaking his third world record on the fourth day of competition, the US swimmer might be setting his sights on an even loftier goal than winning eight golds
How does NBC spell ratings? Two words: Michael Phelps. The Golden Boy takes to Water Cube on Tuesday for the men's 200 freestyle final (10:16 p.m. ET on Monday night). "Coming into the competition, I thought that would be one of his easier races," said Sports Illustrated's Brian Cazeneuve, who predicts -- surprise! -- gold for Phelps in the event.
Michael Phelps was smiling through pain during his first race at the Olympics. Imagine what will happen when he feels good.
BEIJING -- When Michael Phelps finally hit the pool Saturday evening for the final heat of the men's 400 IM after months of anticipation, it was clear that fast-paced competition at the Water Cube would not be limited to the water this week.
The final turn of the men's 400 individual medley on Aug. 9 could be the difference between success and failure in Michael Phelps' quest to win a record eight gold medals in swimming.
Who would have thunk it? The United States of America, that noble bastion of individualism, is bombing in individual sports.
OMAHA, Neb. -- Having just won the 400 freestyle in American record time, Larsen Jensen was happy, buoyant and radiating confidence in the mixed zone at the Olympic swimming trials in Omaha last Sunday. That is, until the subject of his next event, the 200 freestyle, came up.
They wore matching high-tech Speedo LZR suits and swam in a temporary pool designed for speed. But even as Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte pushed each other through a dramatic record chase at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials on Sunday night, what brought the crowd of 12,000 to its feet was not merely the clock but also the sight of the greatest swimmer in the world struggling -- in one of his best events, the 400-meter individual medley -- to fight off an unexpectedly formidable rival.
Sports Illustrated will announce its choice for Sportsman of the Year on Dec. 3. Here's one of the nominations for that honor by an SI writer. For more essays, click here.
There have, once again, been a series of serious soccer disturbances in Europe. In such disparate societies as England, Spain and Greece, the hooligans have been about their awful antics again.
Michael Phelps was flipping through TV channels in his Melbourne hotel room last Friday when, for the first time all week, he was stopped cold. Phelps had come across Pardon the Interruption, and hosts Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser were yapping -- in between Final Four forecasts and spring training rants -- about Phelps's historic performance at the world swimming championships. Where did he belong on the sporting landscape? Was he elevating his niche sport to watercooler status? "Awesome," said Phelps, a sports-TV junkie. "I watch these guys all the time, and now they're talking about swimming."
MELBOURNE, Australia -- Remember the historic performance Michael Phelps had at the 2004 Olympics? Eight medals, including six gold? Comparisons to Mark Spitz? Well, why stop there? Phelps is making his own standards seem mortal at the FINA World Championships, where he is on the verge of the greatest single-meet performance in swimming history. Granted, Phelps has completed only three events so far, but it's the way he has owned the pool in those events that is rendering comparisons with anyone other than himself pointless.
If projections are correct, dozens of U.S. athletes will win gold medals at the Olympics in Athens. But only a fraction of those winners are likely to strike advertising gold after the games.
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