Overview

Demythologizing Michael Phelps is the first seriously critical biography of the world's most decorated Olympic athlete. It establishes the unique favoritism created for Phelps by the International Olympic Committee, swimming officials, selection committees, commercial sponsors, network broadcasters and host governments that has created the illusion of surpassing the standard set by Mark Spitz at Munich in 1972. The case is methodical, based on a detailed examination of the revisions to the daily schedule of events, the rest intervals between events, the margin of victory over other competitors. After all is examined and compared, Spitz tops Phelps. Spitz's standard of all golds and all world records was not exceeded by Phelps, who failed to establish a world record the 100 meter butterfly. Unprecedented exemptions were extended to Phelps, who was allowed to swim an events for which he did not qualify, and positioned on relays so that he would never need to race from behind. More than anything, this book is a celebration of swimmers who did compete fairly and behave decently, win or lose, the athletes who set standards of sportsmanship that Phelps never managed to understand, let alone exhibit. As American University coach emeritus Joe Rogers put is, Before reading this book, I never saw clearly what Dave Hoof makes unavoidable. A mythology was created around Michael Phelps that examination of the facts doesn't support. For anyone interested in sports and sportsmanship, this is a must-read book.

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9781501055133

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For over fifty-five years, David L. Hoof has been involved in the sport of swimming, as a competitor, former AAU Junior Olympic and Age Group champion, All American, former world record holder, author of articles in American Swimmer and Swimming World, as the, author of How to Teach the Swimming Start. He is a friend and confidant to many American college swimming coaches. In addition to these qualifications the author is a Ph.D. scientist with faculty (Georgetown University) credentials, and - using those skills - was able to create convincing arguments from supporting facts. Despite this rigor, the text is presented with a straightforward clarity that makes it accessible to a broad readership. The author's other books include eight published novels with an average goodreads rating of 4.92. These include, as David Lorne, Sight Unseen, Blind Man's Bluff, The Last Prisoner, and, under Grace Alter, The Suicide Diary, and under his own name, Little Gods, Sharpshooter, Triple Jeopardy and A Death in Munich. A blog appears at www.littlegods.net. He lives with his wife Marsha and a rent-a-cat named Tubby in Washington, DC. A new book is in progress.

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