How can anyone win so many GOLD medals at one event? But, he did. And none of them are a subtle record, all are either World Record or Olympic Record. U tell me, u amazed or not?
Updated score of Gold Medal won by Michael Phelps. (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
Something crazier that i've read: His diet is more crazy than [name of a glutton that u know] (i don't have someone to take part in this analogy, so if u know of someone who eats crazily, it's comparable)
MICHAEL PHELPS' 12,000-CALORIE DIET
DOES PHELP'S DIET BELONG TO OLYMPIAN OR OVEREATER?
WITH his washboard abs and a fat-free physique, you would think that Michael Phelps follows a very strict diet.
Guess what? The superstar of the Beijing Games has a voracious appetite, perhaps matched only by his hunger for gold medals and world records.
His recipe for success involves eating a staggering 12,000 calories a day.
'Eat, sleep and swim. That's all I can do,' Phelps, 23, who has so far won five gold medals, told NBC when asked what he needs to win medals. 'Get some calories into my system and try to recover the best I can.'
By comparison, the average man of the same age needs to ingest about 2,000 calories a day.
His diet - which involves ingesting 4,000 calories every time he sits down for a meal - resembles that of a reckless overeater rather than an Olympian, New York Post reported.
He lends a new spin to the phrase 'Breakfast of Champions' by starting off his day by eating three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise.
He follows that up with two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelette, a bowl of grits (maize-based porridge), three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.
Now on to lunch.
He gobbles up about half-a-kg enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with mayo on white bread - capping off the meal by chugging about 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.
Dinner is all about carbs - something which gives him loads of energy for his five-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week regimen - with another half-kg of pasta and an entire pizza.
He washes all that down with another 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.
He picked up his 11th career gold medal on Wednesday to become the most decorated Olympian of all time.
He also remains on course to at least equal Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals won at the 1972 Munich Games.
PHELPS WHO?
While Phelps is generating incredible attention in the US, his incandescent attempt to win eight gold medals is receiving curiously subdued attention in China.
There are empty seats in the Water Cube aquatics centre for his races and state-run Chinese newspapers are providing muted coverage.
Also, a number of people interviewed on the Olympic Green said that their favourite American athletes here were not swimmers but NBA stars such as Kobe Bryant and LeBron James.
The world record Phelps set in the 200m freestyle on Tuesday was relegated to the world report on page 30 of Wednesday's editions of Titan Sports, a popular Chinese sports newspaper.
Another sports daily, The First, played his record on page 32, with two photographs and a brief article.
A third publication, the Guangming Daily, a leading paper for intellectuals that is not read by the mass public, did not mention Phelps at all, the International Herald Tribune reported.
'I don't know the name,' said Yang Quilian, 30, a technician working at the gymnastics stadium, a day after Phelps participated in an astonishing 4x100m relay that also took gold.
She thought a minute, then said, 'Is he the boy in the relay? He did a great job.'
Generally, people interviewed did know Phelps and said they liked him and respected his otherworldly swimming ability. His races are carried live on television - though rarely if ever replayed - and generate excitement inside the Water Cube. He even has a nickname here, the Flying Fish.
Still, swimming is not an especially popular sport in China.
As could be expected, the Chinese news media are more concerned about their own athletes' victories in such sports as gymnastics, diving, badminton, table tennis, fencing and weightlifting.
Phelps also seems to be overshadowed in popularity here by Bryant and James.
The league has also heavily invested in China in recent years. Its games are popular and widely viewed. Bryant and James have made several trips through China and Asia, making appearances, taking part in clinics, boosting their name recognition.
For much of the world, Phelps is the main draw at the Games. And he stands to make a $1 million (S$1.4m) bonus from Speedo, the swimwear company, for winning eight gold medals, which should more than compensate for any lack of buzz.
It might be said that Phelps occupies a special niche - most popular international athlete not competing directly against a Chinese star.
I've meant this to give an update. But oh well, he's the buzz of the media, so i guess, he deserves a single entry on my blog. And yes, i'm really amazed at how much he can achieve at the Olympics... and how much calories he eats per day.
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