{"id":531817,"date":"2024-01-18T01:39:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T08:39:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/?p=531817"},"modified":"2024-01-18T06:11:43","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T13:11:43","slug":"throwback-thursday-on-aussie-soil-michael-phelps-erased-all-doubt-he-was-king","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.swimmingworldmagazine.com\/news\/throwback-thursday-on-aussie-soil-michael-phelps-erased-all-doubt-he-was-king\/","title":{"rendered":"Throwback Thursday: On Aussie Soil, Michael Phelps Erased All Doubt – He Was King"},"content":{"rendered":"

Throwback Thursday: On Aussie Soil, Michael Phelps Erased All Doubt – He Was King<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this latest edition of World Record Flashback, we revisit the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, where Michael Phelps<\/strong>\u2014in the homeland of some doubters\u2014proved his status as the premier athlete in the pool.<\/em><\/p>\n

Sometimes, it\u2019s hard to admit the truth. It\u2019s difficult to let go of something with significant meaning and national pride. It\u2019s tough to tip the cap to another, since such a gesture may seem like the betrayal of a long-adored hero.<\/p>\n

But there, too, are days when reality sets in. In some instances, the deniers awaken and come to a moment of clarity. Finally, they recognize what those around them have already acknowledged. And for those who continue to hold out, their opinions\u2014and credibility\u2014fade into oblivion.<\/p>\n

When the World Championships headed Down Under in early 2007, a debate burned. Had American superstar Michael Phelps<\/strong> supplanted Australian legend Ian Thorpe<\/strong> in the sport\u2019s hierarchy? Although the rest of the world had predominantly accepted this changing of the guard, the Aussies were not ready. It didn\u2019t matter that Phelps had won six titles at the 2003 World Champs or collected eight medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. And it wasn\u2019t enough that additional global success was earned in 2005 and 2006.<\/p>\n

THORPE, A GLOBAL ICON<\/strong><\/p>\n

In Australia, a nation with a tremendous history in the sport and a deep appreciation for its stars, Ian Thorpe remained atop swimming\u2019s totem pole. The owner of a dazzling portfolio, Thorpe was an icon of the pool, a man who wowed at a home Olympiad<\/a> in 2000 and captured a pair of individual titles at the Athens Games. Included from the Olympics\u2019 return to Greece was a triumph in the \u201cRace of the Century<\/a>,\u201d a clash in the 200-meter freestyle between Thorpe, Dutch rival Pieter van den Hoogenband<\/strong> and Phelps, the upstart of the trio.<\/p>\n

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Photo Courtesy: Delly Carr<\/p><\/div>\n

It was Thorpe\u2019s victory in that epic race that emboldened the Australian claim that Thorpe was still No. 1. Truthfully, with no one sniffing his world records in the 200 freestyle and 400 freestyle, there was a semblance of an argument\u2014at least until Phelps\u2019 accomplishments were laid out:<\/p>\n