That’s right, I went there. I pointed out the fact that Michael Phelps has more gold medals than you.
He also has more gold medals than me, and Thomas Fraser-Holmes, and everyone else who exists, or has previously existed, on the planet.
With 21 gold medals, thanks to today’s 4x200m freestyle relay and 200m butterfly, this absolute beast of a human casually took home his second and third gold medals of the meet.
Can. Swim. And apparently his kid’s name is Boomer. I guess when you’ve got more gold medals than I’ve got in dollars in my wallet, you can do whatever it is you please.
Anyway, let’s talk about Olympics stuff.
Alright. No gold, but the Aussies were well and truly bronzed.
I am no horse whisperer, but knowing that our equestrian team had our backs and got home in the team eventing to come third was good. They were even in the gold medal position coming into the final day, but couldn’t quite get the finish they wanted. The final ride cost them just enough time to make it into third spot – still an amazing effort.
Our other bronzed Aussie came from the pool, as the very affable Emma McKeon stormed home in the extraordinarily competitive 200m freestyle event.
Sarah Sjostrom. Katie Ledecky. If those two names mean nothing to you then you haven’t been paying close enough attention. This was a terrific swim, and McKeon is a deserving and graceful medallist.
In other news, our men’s sevens team struggled a bit, losing to France and beating Spain to sit in third in their group with a crucial game against South Africa coming up.
Our Kookaburras also didn’t manage to get a win, going down 1-0 to a strong Belgian side. They will need some good performances from here if they are going factor in the Medal count.
The Opals kept on winning, getting up 89-71 over France. Liz Cambage is a verified weapon. The Matildas got it together to thrash Zimbabwe 6-1. Here’s hoping for big things for those two teams coming up.
It was really sad to see Alicia Coutts so distressed after her 200m individual medley event where she wasn’t among the placings, but I would say that everyone in Australia loves what you’re doing.
The Boomers are back on tomorrow, taking on the USA. If you’re not watching that game then don’t bother with the Olympics. While we’re not a realistic chance, Dellavedova, Bogut, Mills and Baynes have been taking teams apart. 8am tomrorow. Be there for that.
But while we might lose that game, it’s merely an appetiser for what’s to come at 11am. James McEvoy and Kyle Chalmers are both huge chances in the biggest swimming event of them all – the 100m freestyle. They’ve qualified second (Chalmers) and third (McEvoy) after the USA’s Nathan Adrian.
McEvoy seems to be saving himself for this, and will be able to keep a close eye on Adrian from lane 3.
Then comes Madison Groves in the women’s 200m butterfly. She qualified fastest there, and has great speed right off the blocks.
Two huge chances for gold on a day that will also see Cate and Bronte Campbell feature in the women’s 100m freestyle semi-finals.
Don’t forget that late tonight is the men’s and women’s road cycling time trial, and the men’s gymnastics final which I’ll be all around.
The Kookaburras and Hockeyroos, both strong medal favourites before the Games kicked off, have both lost two matches in a row.
It’s a bit of a shock, but elite hockey is a very competitive arena, with European and Asian nations in particular very strong competitors.
So look… I’m going to go out on a limb and back BOTH of these teams to be among the medals by the time this all wraps up.
There will be epic comebacks, tales of ‘we woz robbed’, but I’m still going to back our hockey teams to get the business done.
The Hockeyroos have been hit hard by yellow cards, meaning they’ve spent long periods of games with critical players off the field. I don’t expect them to replicate that tomorrow against India.
Similarly, the Kookaburras have been largely ineffective in converting their opportunities – but I think that’s all about to chance.
Go on you two teams. Please prove me right!
What did you watch that really got your goat, or made you jump off the couch and yell ‘yippee!’
delbeato
Roar Guru
"Swimming strikes me as largely a clean sport." Oh dear.
Patrick Effeney
Editor
He might you know!
Patrick Effeney
Editor
Very diplomatic Mike!
delbeato
Roar Guru
I accept Phelps is an all-time great. I wasn't chopping Phelps down. But his medal count has benefited from a lot of really similar events - and I don't mean the different strokes. I understand that's hard work to master different strokes.
Mike Huber
Roar Pro
Jameswm Let's not start this argument again please . You are an unashamed Bolt fan and many roarers like Phelps as the GOAT - it's all good .
Josh
Expert
Hitting me right where it hurts, Paddy - the fact that I've got less than 20 gold medals. But does he have 1.4 millions views on The Roar??
13th Man
Guest
Yeah hope not, but swimming is certainly not a clean sport. Sun Yang and that Russian girl are examples. But I don't think Phelps is, considering he's been in the competition 16 years and has never once had a positive test (and the testing is far better now than when Armstrong was around) I reckon he is one of the cleanest athletes going round. Just an absolute freak. On another note very worried about the Kookaburras, they just cannot convert despite having the better of the play in there last two matches, real issue and not something I expected considering the talent that is there of Dwyer, Cirello, Govers, Turner and co, these are blokes who score goals for fun!!! Whats going on? Hopefully they can turn it around against the Brits tonight, in all likliehood we will still qualify but may now end up playing the Germans or the Dutch which is a far tougher match than India or Pakistan. The Hockeyroos have come up against two very good sides and have time left with 3 games to turn things around. Big match against Argentina coming up, will really want to avoid finishing 4th so they avoid the Dutch until later on. Rugby 7s has been by far the most entertaining event of all so far and yesterday was great, well done Japan you did it again! but gutted for SBW, really wanted to see him do well. South Africa and Fiji look like the big favorites now, will be a huge test for Aussies against the Saffas today, have to hope we can sneak through to the quarters but will face very good opposition most likely Fiji if we finish in third.
The real SC
Roar Rookie
Maybe he will succeed in 100 Fly, 200 IM and 4x100m Medley Relay. He would break a record for the most gold medals every by an olympian
jameswm
Roar Guru
Swimming strikes me as largely a clean sport. I think most or all of the Americans and Ausises are clean. Why would anyone hope Phelps is a doper? I sure hope he is not. He's a complete freak.
jameswm
Roar Guru
It's not bollocks. If you're really good at fly and free, then you can excel at 100 free, 100 fly, 200 fly, 200 free, 200IM and 400IM. And add relays to that. Phelps is a freak no question, and arguably the greatest Olympian ever. But for me, if Bolt gets the triple again, he gets the title.
rasty
Guest
I reckon that suspicion circles around all high achievers. Phelps definately falls in that category. You say that rumours were always circling Armstrong... Are they not circling Phelps? Anyway I guess over time some of (if not all) will be revealed.
Brendon
Guest
Hope that Phelps is a doper? Why? There were always rumours swirling around Armstrong. Much stronger and detailed than the rubbish said about Phelps. Plus cycling is a thousand times dirtier than mens swimmer ever was.
Brendon
Guest
Bollocks. How many non-freestyle individual gold did Thorpe, Hackett, Hoogenband, Pierkins, Popov and Biondi win? Answer is 0. Those names won a total of 16 individual gold medals - all freestyle. Spitz mastered 2 strokes, freestyle and buttefly but didn't compete in the 200IM or 400IM in 1972. I dont know why he didnt compete in the 200IM. Scheduling must have stopped him. It is extremely hard for swimmers to win individual golds in freestyle/butterfly in the same games. If you're a breaststroker forget about being competitive in any other stroke.
XI
Roar Guru
Now we just have to hope that in ten years or so it turns out that Phelps was a bigger doper than Armstrong. (Not saying he is, but now you can't ever really be sure.)
jamesb
Guest
IMO, with equestrian, Stuart Tinneys effort cost Australia gold. He knocked off 4 rails. That put extra pressure on the remaining two riders. In the cross country, Australia lost Shane Rose from the competition. In a four man team eventing, the person with the lowest score can drop off. So with Rose eliminated, they had to count Tinneys score. In swimming, Phelps is a freak. He did compete in Sydney as a 15 year old, so that's 21 golds (and counting) in five Olympics. With the Australians, winning gold or any medal is hard work, and it shouldn't be a given. So whenever an Australian athlete wins a medal of any colour, people should celebrate it. And it was good to see McKeon get that bronze. She deserve it. Meanwhile Madison Groves should be given an opportunity in the women's 4 x 100m medley relay. She looked impressive.
Mike Huber
Roar Pro
SP " Michael Phelps is just a freak. No one will ever come close to him " They said the same thing about Mark Spitz and here we are today . Sport is science and science is a process of human evolution . Athletes have so many discernible advantages today that the platforms they operate from catapult them to super human feats . Invariably , all times and records get broken- as such , look out for the next genetic freak in another 30-40 years . If you wish to experiment then throw in PED 's and watch athletic freaks evolve to marvel super hero performances, feats and proportions . Is Phelps clean ? Is he a pathological liar ? Has he got an enlarged heart like ( Phar Lap) ? One day we will know the answers to these question in similar vein to DNA and court outcomes . You would have to be very wet behind the ears to think that the Russians are the worlds biggest drug users . This is especially true when you look at America and its transparent and co dependent culture of pharmaceuticals . There is so much money in sport in the US that pharmaceuticals are heralded as a necessary evil. Phelps is worth around $58 million - would you dabble if that much money was on offer to become the " Greatest " ?
Scott Pryde
Expert
Great wrap Paddy, Michael Phelps is just a freak. No one will ever come close to him. You have to remember the guy is now 31 and still ticking along as if he were 25. It's just incredible. Jeez the Opals are looking good. 3 from 3.... Looking like real medal chances right at the moment. Really keen for the time trials as well - can't see anyone beating Froomie. I also think the Boomers vs USA game is going to be a little closer than most people think - The Boomers are going great guns and playing better than expected, but it's not just cause they haven't ran into the USA yet. Their structures at both ends of the floor seem set and they are a completely different team with Bogut on the floor. If he can play big minutes, it will be a single figure game and come down to the wire. I don't think we will win, i'm just saying don't completely write us off. Like Republican, have to disagree with the hockey. Both teams are looking at a fourth place group finish and will take on the respective best teams in the other group who they won't beat. No medals there.
delbeato
Roar Guru
Phelps is one of the all-time greats, but his medal tally has benefited from a vast array of really quite similar swimming events, that if you're fastest in one, you'll probably be fastest in the other.
Republican
Guest
Have to disagree. There will be no medals this games for either of our hockey sides. The women are rebuilding and left out Anna Flanagan who would have been the x factor for them. The men, well they peaked about a month or more back v India in the Presis Cup. GB will account for them next round. Both our womens and mens sides are strong on possession but have no idea how to score. This won't be remedied in time to change their form during this campaign sadly.