GOLDEN TAPA

Tomorrow, Rafael Nadal will officially be declared the Worlds Number One and he’s backing it up with a delicious gold medal hanging round his neck. Nadal won a gold medal Sunday after serving Fernando Gonzalez a major dose of karma in the form of a 6-3, 7-6 (2), 6-3 beating. This is Spain’s first gold medal in tennis and considering Nadal’s phenomenal year, are we really surprised to see the Gold adorning Spain’s most precious commodity? Nadal has won 38 of his past 39 matches.

“Nowhere in my best dreams I can imagine something like what I did this year,” Nadal said. “I know how difficult it is to win these things, and especially here, because you only have one chance every four years.” Indeed, but I did imagine something like this in one of my best dreams and your medal ended dangling from the tip of my toes…

GOLDEN SENSATION: MICHAEL PHELPS

What can I possibly say about Michael Phelps that hasn’t been said? That he’s the Lance Armstrong of water sports? That his body is sick? That his smile is infectious? That he’s class act? Did I mention that body? Dear god…if only the games were broadcast live on the West Coast I’m sure most of you would have heard me screaming during the events. I assure you kids that I haven’t been turning a blind eye to the hot male Olympic swimmers. I’ve been so awestruck with some of the abs diving into the pool that I actually burned out my DVR by rewinding-pausing-rewinding-pausing the action and had to call a cable technician specialist to get it up and running again.

Without a doubt- we now have two Olympics that will remain in the forefront of our memories. Beijing 2008, which gave us a chance to bear witness to one of the most phenomenal athletes in the world earn 8 gold medals while smashing world records, and the 1972 Munich games where Mark Spitz brought home 7. I’ll never forget watching Spitz as a kid, a time when the Olympics were at their purest. It was all about the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat. Today, on the West Coast anyway, its about trying to avoid turning on the news because you know they are gonna spoil the games. And it sucks. I would have loved nothing more than to hear Phelps “live” after his win…I would have loved to see him “live” run into the stands to hug his mother and sisters. “I don’t even know what to feel right now,” Phelps said. “There’s so much emotion going through my head and so much excitement. I kind of just want to see my mom.”

Over the years, I’ve seen several great athletes profiled in reference to their genetics and how it makes them exceptional athletes. Some, like –cold-water’ swimmer Lewis Pugh, actually has an internal thermometer that automatically adjusts his core body temperature to adapt to freezing water temperatures. (There might be about four people in the world that can do this) Others, like Lance Armstrong, also have the ability to smash what-we-thought-we-knew about the genetic code of some athletes. Some are just gifted in the genetics department. I even saw a special on Tom Brady and his ability to throw a perfect pass. Not sure if its Brady’s genetics or not, but it was more than a pleasure to watch the slow-mo cam as it focused in on his arm and explained the split second timing it takes to complete a pass…but I digress. Back to Michael Phelps’ Perfect Body.

I have been trying to find this video in color but its only available on YouTube in black and white. (You can view the original video on NBC) It’s a mouthwatering explanation of Phelps size 14 feet, big hands, height, weight, and body shape which make him a cut above the rest when it comes to the water….

“Nothing is impossible,” Phelps said. “With so many people saying it couldn’t be done, all it takes is an imagination, and that’s something I learned and something that helped me…Without the help of my teammates this isn’t possible. I was able to be a part of three relays and we were able to put up a solid team effort and we came together as one unit. For the three Olympics I’ve been a part of, this is by far the closest men’s team that we’ve ever had. I didn’t know everybody coming into this Olympics, but I feel going out I know every single person very well. The team that we had is the difference.”

And I’m off to enjoy the rest of this day….

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Delinda Lombardo
delinda@athlebrities.com