Pure Gold

"Your son will never be able to focus on anything… He's not gifted.Michael can't sit still, Michael can't be quiet, Michael can't focus,"Debbie Phelps was told by her son's kindergarten teacher.

But, as it turns out, Michael can rock -- he can rock the world. He did this atBeijing, winning eight gold medals, seven of them with world record times.

Thirty-six years ago, Mark Spitz, who is Jewish, was asked how it felt to winseven gold medals in Germany, a quarter of a century after the end of World WarII. It was a perfect opportunity to take a stab at statesmanship. But athletesthose days did not watch their words -- they had not had the training. Spitzsaid: "I've always liked this country, even though this (sun) shade isprobably made out of one of my aunts."

Michael Phelps, performing at the most political Olympics in decades, is muchmore circumspect -- a day before his final race of these Olympics, where hiseighth gold was a certainty, he was not going to be drawn into commenting on it.The 23-year-old, a day before his final race, the 4x100 medley relay -- whichthe Americans have never lost at the Olympics -- Phelps said: "It's notover yet… I really think the Australian team looks great for the relay. It'sgoing to be a great race."

And indeed, it was a great race. The US won in a a new world record time of3:29.34. Phelps won his eighth gold. Spitz's record of seven golds at a singleOlympics had fallen, though he had a small consolation -- he had won all hisgolds with world records.

Don't get me wrong, but Michal Phelps is a freak -- anyone who can do what hedoes has to be a freak. He is six-feet-five tall and has an arm-span ofsix-feet-seven. What he eats in a day would feed a small family. Sample this: 

Breakfast: Three fried egg sandwiches, with cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, friedonions and mayonnaise, followed by three chocolate-chip pancakes; a five-eggomelette; three sugar-coated slices of French toast and a bowl of grits (amaize-based porridge), washed down with two cups of coffee.

Lunch: Half a kilogram (one pound) of enriched pasta; two large ham and cheesesandwiches on white bread smothered with mayonnaise, washed down by energydrinks.

Dinner: Half kilogram of pasta, perhaps with a carbonara sauce, followed by alarge pizza and more energy drinks.

"Eat, sleep and swim, that's all I can do," Phelps said a few daysago.

I have not seen him eat, I've not made this up, reliable news agencies andnewspapers have reported this. It adds up to 10,000 calories -- which, surely,is insane. He converts food into energy at a staggering rate. He has the musclesand the body to do it.  

In the legends of all cultures of the world, the ability to eat staggeringquantities of food is stuff of fable. Phelps is also now stuff of legend.

Back during his kindergarten days, his mother was told that Michael had ADHD --attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. After two years of medication, he wasfed up -- he stopped taking drugs because, as he said, his "buddies don'tdo this."

He was teased for his unusual physique -- he channeled the anger and the hurtinto swimming, into winning. It resulted in him making for himself a mind that'shard as flint. He now can focus like no one else, his old teacher would love toknow. And he can mint gold like no one did, like no one, perhaps, ever will.