Trickett: Phelps simply amazing

2008-08-18 10:44

Beijing - Michael Phelps's astonishing Olympic record of eight gold medals has stretched the barriers for swimmers everywhere and made the impossible possible, Australia's sprint world record holder Libby Trickett said on Monday.

The American superstar is the talk of the Beijing Olympics after winning seven of his eight gold medals in world-record time with the only exception coming in the 100m butterfly, which he won by 1/100th of a second in a personal best time.

Along the way Phelps surpassed Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven gold at one Games and now he has more Olympic gold medals with 14 than any other athlete.

"It's pretty special to be swimming in an era where clearly the world's greatest male swimmer is swimming and to be able to watch what he's been doing over the past week is absolutely amazing," said Trickett, who leaves Beijing with four medals, two of them gold.

"Sometimes he absolutely blew his opponents apart and sometimes he won by point 01 (1/100th of a second), it was absolutely thrilling to watch every single moment.

"I was very lucky to see his 200 freestyle world record. I remember watching the same event at the worlds last year and I really thought that Thorpey's (Ian Thorpe) world record would not be touched for a very long time until he swum sub-1:44 and at this meet to go sub-1:43 is absolutely amazing.

"It definitely stretches out the barriers. It makes the impossible possible and decreases the limitations that we put on ourselves.

"I think that I have a lot more in me and I want to find that extra mile, just like he has, and he keeps on improving and progressing, it's absolutely amazing to watch.

"To win eight gold medals in this day and age where people are so specialised in their events is just amazing."

- SAPA