As a former swimmer who raced (and got his ass kicked by) Phelps as an age grouper, I heartily endorse this message. People who don't follow swimming cannot truly fathom what a freak of nature he was. From making the Sydney team at barely fifteen to his unmatched versatility (at one point he held world records in the 100/200 fly, 200/400 IM and 200 free, was within hundredths of the world records in the 100/200 backstroke and 100 free, and was American record holder in the 400m free), to his superhuman ability to recover quickly between races, he was a talent for the ages. Even when he slacked off for a few years before the London Olympics, he still managed to be the most decorated athlete of the games. I wish we could have seen what he was truly capable of. He always swam so many races that many of his world records were set while he was exhausted. I bet if he had been fresh many of his records could last decades.