At 15, swimmer makes historic waves

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published August 14, 2000

INDIANAPOLIS -- He had nicks on his legs. Tiny, blood-splotched patches around his knees and up and down his shins. This was the first clue that Michael Phelps was not your typical world-class swimmer.

Most swimmers shave their bodies before big events, giving them a sensation of gliding more quickly through the water. Phelps shaved for the Olympic trials, but, it turns out, he's not very experienced with a razor.

"He probably shaves his beard once a month," coach Bob Bowman said.

"Once every two weeks," Phelps corrected.

Phelps is 15. Actually, he just turned 15 about six weeks ago. When he finished second in the 200-meter butterfly Saturday night, he became the youngest man -- man? -- to qualify for the U.S. Olympic swim team in 68 years.

The Talisman broke this story. Back in February, the school newspaper at Maryland's Towson High quoted Phelps saying his goal was to make the 2000 Olympics team. At the time, Bowman told his protege to cool that kind of talk.

Yet here they are, six months later, figuring out what paperwork to file to get a visa for a kid who has never left the country. Phelps will go to Australia before he begins 10th grade. His parents will go with him, but not his girlfriend, Carolyn Blair. The relationship has not progressed that far. Phelps would not even confirm whether they have reached the kissing stage. He still has braces, you know.

He talks about these issues with a perpetual grin spread across his face. He's having the time of his life, even if his life has barely begun.

"People at my lunch table kept telling me I was going to make it," Phelps said. "They don't realize how hard it is."

The lunch-table crowd just isn't as savvy as it used to be.

Truth be known, this was not the biggest upset of the trials. Phelps arrived with the reputation as a phenom. Bowman estimates that he has broken at least 20 national age-group records in the past five years.

Phelps had the fifth-fastest qualifying time, so he clearly was capable of nailing down one of the top two spots. The surprise was in his composure during the final. The average age of the other seven competitors was 21, and they all had experience in international meets. YetPhelpscame from behind in the final 50 meters, passing two others to finish second.

"I was practicing the "We still love you' speech at 150 meters," Bowman said. "With about 10 meters to go, I was feeling a lot better."

It is not unusual for female swimmers to qualify for the Olympicsat a young age. Amanda Beard won three medals in 1996 at 14. Megan Quann won the 100 meter breaststroke Friday night at 16.

For men, it is nearly unprecedented. Tom Malchow, who won the 200 butterfly ahead of Phelps on Saturday, was the youngest man on the '96 Olympic swim team. He was 19. Even though Phelps was turning in times that were better than most college swimmers at age 13, Bowman did not have him begin a true elite workout program, with two-a-day practices, until this year.

The advanced workouts coincided with a growth spurt. Phelps estimates he has grown 4 inches this year andstands 6-3, 165 pounds with unusually long arms that give him a greater range of motion with his strokes.

"It wouldn't be unusual for a girl of 12 years old to go to two-a-day practice, because they are physically further along the developmental curve," said Bowman, who coached 1992 phenom Anita Nall. "Boys usually mature and develop much slower. Since Michael was so far ahead of his competition, we would hold off the extra training as long as we could.

"By controlling the amount and frequency of his workouts, we could keep him going longer. Because, obviously, he is only 15 and we are looking at many more years of swimming. There's only so long you can train at that level, so we wanted to delay it as long as possible."

That sat fine with the Phelps family, swimming veterans by the time Michael came along. His sister, Whitney, was a favorite to make the 1996 Olympic team, but suffered an injury just before the trials.

Fred Phelps, a Maryland state trooper, said he and his wife, Debbie, made sure Michael had a well-rounded life. Along with swimming, he played baseball, soccer and lacrosse until a few years ago.

"At that age, you can't focus just on swimming. You have to have some kind of life outside the pool, and he does," Fred said. "He's a normal 15-year-old in a lot of ways. He goes to the movies, plays video games and hangs out with his buddies. He's a real laid-back kind of kid."

Phelps admits he was anything but laid-back after his swim Saturday. He had dinner with Bowman and went back to his hotel room, but had trouble sleeping. He said it was probably 11:30 p.m.before he dozed off.

"And that's late for him," Bowman said. Naturally. He's only 15.

© St. Petersburg Times. All rights reserved.

Headlines

Americans Lose in 1st Round of Davis Cup

---