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Phelps makes Thorpe eat his words |
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By: Ashwin Ferro |
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Date:
2008-08-21 |
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Place: BEIJING |
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Michael Phelps | Going by the sheer ethos of sport, it is unfair to write-off any athlete, or for that matter say that he simply cannot do this or will not be able to achieve that.
Australia swimming ace Ian Thorpe learnt this the hard way recently when he said that American Michael Phelps "will not" break Mark Spitz's 1972 Munich Games' record of seven gold medals. Phelps not only won eight golds in Beijing but en route broke seven world records too.
Though Thorpe has already admitted he was wrong on Phelps, he still does not regret what he said about the swimmer.
Yesterday, Phelps and Thorpe came face-to-face at a promotional event at the Omega Pavilion here. And when the Aussie was questioned about his comment, he justified it well.
"I said that he (Phelps) WILL NOT break the record but I didn't say that he COULD NOT break the record. My judgement was not based on Phelps' ability but rather on the highest level of competition that the Olympics throws up," said Thorpe, even as Phelps acknowledged the comment with a broad smile.
As for life after his record, Phelps said he was simply enjoying himself in his pool of success. "Nothing's impossible," he said.
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