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Phelps rescues dazed and confused USA
2008-08-24
BEIJING (AFP) - The United States retreated from Beijing on Sunday whispering a prayer to St Michael and with their leading Olympics officials putting a positive spin on seeing China become the world's newest sports superpower. The US needed final day wins from their men's volleyball and NBA-packed basketball teams to take their gold medal count to 36, one more than Athens four years ago but still behind their collection in Sydney in 2000, Atlanta in 1996 and at the 1992 Barcelona Games. Against such a background, United States Olympic Committee chief executive Jim Scherr insisted the country should look beyond the statistics. "We don't gauge our performance simply on the number of medals we achieve. We gauge our performance in a number of ways - one is this team has been clean and drug free," said Scherr with the wounds caused by BALCO and Marion Jones still being dressed. "Our performance in team sports across the board may be the best ever in the history of the US participation in the Games. We are succeeding in virtually every team sport we've had here, and winning medals in all those sports. "We will not abandon those sports in order to produce to medals in individual sports that might be less expensive in total number of medals." But it was individual glory in the first week of the Games which rescued America with Michael Phelps's history-shattering performances in the pool, where he won eight golds, smashed seven world records to make him the most successful Olympian of all time. The 23-year-old won gold in the 400m individual medley, 4x100m free relay, 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 4x200m free relay, 200m individual medley, 100m butterfly and the 4x100m medley relay after swimming 17 times in nine days. "The greatest thing is proving nothing is impossible," Phelps said. "So many people said it couldn't be done, but all it takes is an imagination. That is something I have learned." The bad news for his rivals is that the Baltimore bullet has no plans to take his 14 golds from Athens and Beijing and swim off into retirement. "There are some times I still want to hit before I retire. That's what's keeping me going and I want to try some new events," said Phelps with eyes set firmly on the London Games in 2012. "Whether it's the backstroke or the 100 metres free, there are some other things Bob (Bowman, his coach) and I are going to try out and work on over the next four years. It will definitely be fun." If Phelps was having fun in the Water Cube, across the Olympic Park on the track at the Bird's Nest some uncomfortable truths were coming home to roost. The final US athletics tally of seven golds, nine silvers and seven bronzes for 23 total medals eclipsed all rivals, five more overall than Russia and one more gold than Russia and the sprint-dominant Jamaicans. But it was among the worst showings ever for the United States. The previous total low was 22 with a record-low six golds in both 1972 and 1976. What was dispiriting for the Americans was their humbling in the sprints by Jamaica with the batons dropped in the relays a depressing symbol of a shift in fortunes being powered by the incredible Usain Bolt, Phelp's only rival for man of the Games. There was plenty of emotion on the last day. The US won Olympic men's volleyball gold for the first time in 20 years, beating defending champions Brazil 3-1. "A gold medal in the Olympics is a huge victory for us," said Sean Rooney, referring to a campaign that was overshadowed by the murder of head coach Hugh McCutcheon's father-in-law at a tourist site here at the start of the Games. NBA superstar Kobe Bryant had the final word when he provided the crucial late spark in a 118-107 win over Spain to secure a 13th time men's basketball gold. "Everybody talks about NBA players being selfish and arrogant," Bryant said. "What you saw out there was a team coming together and playing as a team." Such unity will be key when the US resume their medals battle against China in London in 2012.
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