So is Michael Phelps the greatest Olympian of all time?

I suppose there are two safe answers. Yes and no.

Dangle a 36-year old Olympic record before a go-getting 23-year old swimming scud missile from Baltimore, Maryland and you get a riveting nine-day odyssey. Phelps tried to deflect early pressure by saying it was primarily the media, which wanted him to break the record Mark Spitz set in 1972. It was media hype, not personal ambition, according to Phelps. It was, however, clear upon his first taste of Beijing gold that the super shark wanted more. He wanted it all. Eight gold medals for 8 events. This means Phelps wasn’t just aiming for domination. He wasn’t just going for intimidation. Here was an athlete ambitious enough to target perfection in an ultra-competitive field. Read the rest of this entry »

Seeing how Manny Pacquiao can be completely devastating when he’s focused and free of distractions, I can’t help but wonder how long he can sustain it. He certainly has a lot on his plate: Aside from his professional boxing career he also co-hosts a show, has failed political aspirations he will certainly try to revive, and a kind of social responsibility to people looking for inspiration and some sort of relief. Not to mention making appearances on TV or entertaining countless political and showbiz visitors when he’s home. It takes a herculean effort to juggle all those and keep himself in perfect shape that it becomes impossible, really.

There’s no doubt that Pacquiao has matured and probably even realized that a really unique kind of boxing glory is within his grasp. I noticed that immediately after the fight and during the interviews. He seems, well, changed. And especially after this demolition of Diaz, there was collective agreement that he may very well be the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world, and that what he achieved was monumental indeed.

But I’m worried, and perhaps will be a bit restrained in declaring how great he is and how he’s that Filipino sports hero I’ve been pining for. We’ll see in November then?