Book review: Michael Phelps, The Untold Story of a Champion

I picked up Michael Phelps: The Untold Story of a Champion (affiliate links: UK, US) for two reasons.

• Firstly, because I was in the mood for reading about swimming after Hodding Carter’s exceptional book, Off the Deep End.
• Secondly, I felt that I didn’t know enough about this great Olympian and for someone who takes more than a passing interest in the sport, this was unforgivable.

Michael Phelps doing what he does best

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So what did you think?

Well, it certainly ticked both boxes for me.

As far as reading more about swimming, I could smell the chlorine from the first page and by the end of the first chapter I was practically transported to the pool-side at a meet, towel on chair and goggles wrapped around my wrist.

And as far as learning more about Phelps, it’s a nicely set out summary of his early swimming years, the importance of his coach, Bob Bowman, his first Olympic games in Athens in 2004 and his record-breaking eight wins in Beijing in 2008.  In fact, if you were to summarise the book, it would be to say that it’s a simple record of those things.  If you’re looking for the facts, then you can find them here.

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So it’s dry and factual?

Well, it’s written by an outsider so it’s not a personal account.  However, it does have some interesting snippets and observations that made me stop and think for a moment:

• The desire: in the introduction, Rowdy Gaines notes “that very young man had a hunger like no one else I’d met and… he had a purpose in life… to change the landscape of our sport forever.”  It’s easy to forget how much of an Olympian’s achievements are borne of desire by getting wrapped up in the detail of size seventeen feet and long torsos with short legs.  This short sentiment right at the beginning of the book is a welcome reminder of that fact.  It got me thinking that maybe we focus on the obvious external features of other people’s achievements and chalk them up to genetic attributes a little too much.  Maybe they just want to win more than we do…
• Mobility problems: before Phelps even competed at the Olympics he had shoulder and lower back problems.  I found it reassuring to know that mobility and stability issues happen even to the best athletes and that it is possible to achieve great things after coming back from injury.
• How much do you care? Bob Bowman is quoted as saying: “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care”.  Sometimes I read the articles of some very clever people and I can tell they are being insightful and thought-provoking and yet I am switched off by their attitude.  Here, Bob explains why this is.  People need to know you care about them and their goals before they will give you permission to give them advice.
• Motivation: there is a wonderful little anecdote where Bob Bowman cuts out a newspaper article including an interview with Ian “Thorpedo” Thorpe, the Australian swimmer who was Phelps’ great rival at the start of his career.  In the article, Thorpe is quoted as saying certain negative things about Phelps and putting limitations on what he might achieve.  Bowman gave the article to Phelps for motivation.  This really got me pondering.  Most of the time, I’m quite private about my goals.  Maybe I need to be more open about them so that somebody will call me out and tell me I won’t achieve them.  Then I will have motivation to prove them wrong…
• When it all goes wrong: one of the best stories about Phelps is the 200m butterfly final at the 2008 Olympics.  Upon diving in, Phelps’s goggles come loose and he swims the whole way blind.  Despite this handicap, he still breaks the world record and wins gold.  Reading this made me reflect that maybe sometimes we make problems out to be bigger than they are so that we have an excuse.  Real champions see problems as small hurdles to be cleared with the minimum of effort.
• Older athletes: one of the more developed minor stories in the book is the tale of Jason Lezak, the medley and freestyle relay anchor, who rose to the occasion at the 2008 Olympics and swam two of the fastest ever legs to win golds for the American team.  Even more amazing when you learn he was 32 at the time.  Maybe I’m not quite over the hill yet…

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Why should I read it again?

Well, if you’re after a short, readable and factual account of why Phelps is a formidable Olympian, then this is your book.  It’s not a personal account but it does cover some amazing ground.