Phelps eases to Olympic mark

Till another athlete reveals herself or himself to be capable of breaking the time or space barrier significantly, Phelps will be the most tracked person in Beijing. He has announced, without putting it into so many words, that he wants eight golds.

So, as he plunges in for the finals on Sunday morning — an event that is so heavily ticketed that even the quotas for reporting passes are over-subscribed — he could be on his way to making good that ambition. But even if that race is, by some twist, taken away from him, we will still wonder. How does he do what he does?

Phelps is so effortless in his accomplishments that we reach for proof of exceptionalism to account for him. His body suit (the Speedo LZR Racer). His arms. His metabolism that rapidly expels fatigue causing substances. His shape that concentrates strength in his upper body. The reasons may sound somewhat stretched, though his own coach attests to the time-clipping guarantee of the bodysuit. But the reasons also separate into two categories: advantages that come “naturally” and those that accrue with intervention.

The debate is not academic. Many athletes have not made it to the Games upon being detected for doping. Samples are now being frozen, so that once new diagnostic methods are found, they can be checked for substance abuse again. This summer the US relay team (4x400m) had its gold medal from Sydney 2000 taken away and awarded to Nigeria, upon one of the runner’s confession on doping.

In fact, take the example of the 100m, the Olympics’ most visceral race, which has been hit hard by doping. Ever since Ben Johnson ran past Carl Lewis in Seoul 1988, recording 9.79 seconds, only to be found out for steroid use, suspicion has always attached to champions. American Justin Gatlin, who won the 100 m at Athens 2004 in 9.85 seconds, subsequently began serving a four-year ban upon a positive steroid test. In 2007, Marion Jones had her gold medal from Sydney 2000 taken away after she confessed to steroid use during that period.

This is perhaps why Phelps is so valuable to sport today. It’s not about the number of medals he may finally take away from Beijing. It’s not about the records he may yet break here and elsewhere. It is that when he does something, he reinforces our belief in pure human excellence.