Column: Phelps could tie record 8 medals

By Scott Pitoniak

Gannett News Service

ATHENS, Greece - As he stood atop the medal stand at the Olympic Aquatic Centre on Thursday night, Michael Phelps' mind wandered between the recent past and the near future.

He had just edged Ryan Lochte to win the 200-meter individual medley, but there was no time to savor his latest victory.

With ``The Star-Spangled Banner'' playing in the background and a gold medal dangling from his neck, Phelps already was thinking ahead to Friday's showdown with Aussie rival Ian Thorpe and U.S. teammate Ian Crocker in the 100 butterfly. He also was contemplating swimming a leg in the final relay of these Games.

Two races in a matter of hours.

Clearly, this will be a day to test the Medal Man's mettle.

In the land of mythology, it would be a Herculean feat.

Should Phelps beat Crocker in the fly, U.S. Coach Eddie Reese will allow him to swim in the medley relay finals. A medal by Phelps in both races would make him only the second man in history to win eight medals at a single Olympics. Not exactly the fulfillment of the Mark Spitz goal of seven golds that had made Phelps the cover boy heading into these Games but a remarkable achievement nonetheless.

And so he will have to endure another emotionally and physically grueling day before he can rest.

"I think I'm recovering fairly well,'' Phelps said in the understatement of the Olympics. "I do sometimes have a tough time getting to sleep at night, but it's all part of the fun. Sometimes my adrenaline runs so high I can't get to sleep. When I get up in the morning I just have to deal with it.''

Phelps came across the tidbit about the record eight medals won by Soviet gymnast Alexander Dityatin in 1980 while checking out the ESPN Web site before the games began. So the 19-year-old phenom from Baltimore set another goal for himself - one that's still alive.

For the record, here's his collection so far: four golds and two bronzes.Thursday might not have the Spitzian drama that NBC and millions of Americans had hoped for, but it's still a compelling story.

The Phelps-Thorpe rivalry is the best that swimming has to offer. As his two golds and a bronze indicate, the Thorpedo isn't ready to concede his crown as the world's greatest swimmer. In two of those races - the 200- and 400-meter freestyles - Thorpe beat Phelps. Before the Olympics, he scoffed at talk about Phelps going for Spitz's record, calling it ``ridiculous.''

Another subplot involves Crocker. He made it clear long ago that he was not going to lie down so his teammate could take a shot at history. Though slowed by illness early in these Games, Crocker will do his best to add to his own medal collection Friday night. Regardless of how it plays out, it should make for a good wrap to the swimming competition. Phelps already has put his imprint on these games. It could become even bigger should he pan two golds in a matter of hours.