Michael Phelps Swims His Last

Born with an extraordinary gift for swimming, Michael Phelps had gained the favor of the crowd following his astounding eight gold medals straight in a competition during the 2008 Summer Games in Beijing, China.

At an early age, Michael started his swimming career following the footsteps of his parents, former swimmers Fred Phelps and Debbie Davisson. His one-of-a-kind swimming prowess was yet to be discovered until he reached 15, his first and major break in the world of swimming.

The following shows a timeline of events encompassing Michael Phelps' excellent swimming record.

• 2000 – Participated in the Sydney Olympics at the age of 15
• 2003 – Won four gold medals and two silver medals during the 2003 World Swimming Championships
• 2004 – Earned six gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2004 Summer Olympics
• 2005 – Bagged five gold medals and one silver medal during the 2005 World Swimming Championships
• 2007 – Brought home seven gold medals during the 2007 World Swimming Championships
• 2008 – Won eight gold medals during the 2008 Summer Olympics

The mob waits expectantly as Phelps shows his best once again in the 2012 London Olympics. But the 27-year-old Phelp’s statement brought chill and sadness in the hearts of his fans. According to GlobalPost, Michael Phelps expressed his desire to retire during a 60-minute interview by Anderson Cooper; he said he is ready to go for the gold in the 2012 Olympics, but once he hits the final wall, it is all over.

“Once I retire, I’m retiring. I’m done,” Phelps said.

According to USA Today, there is a chance of Phelps retiring as the athlete with the most Olympic career medals, having won a total of 16 medals throughout his Olympic career, provided that he brings home three medals from the fast-approaching London Olympics.

Phelps suffered a major drawback after being spotted by a paparazzi smoking marijuana. In his comeback, people are expecting to see the Phelps they used to cheer. Phelps himself expressed how hard it is since he still doesn’t know if the passion or fire is still inside him. Phelps sees himself as a regular guy after the 2012 London Olympics.

World’s Fastest Man Heads to Olympics 2012

World’s fastest man is now ready to take the lead as London Olympics 2012 comes in top speed. Dominating the world of track and field with a record breaking 9.58 and 9.76 in a 100m run, Usain Bolt had shown wonder in the eyes of the amazed spectators.

The 25-year-old Jamaican sprinter declared his intention to “amaze” the world in the 2012 Olympics. He also mentioned his desire of being a living legend in the world of sports. Holding the world record of 9.58, Usain Bolt is believed to be capable of running below 9.50. And if the weather condition permits, he may have exceeded his own record to an outstanding 9.40 seconds performance.

According to Glenn Mills, head coach of the Racers Track Club: Usain has trained well and is definitely in good condition. He also added that he expect Usain to “do well and run a good race” seeing that he is in good shape.

Bolt plans to run in the 100- and 200- meter races and the 4x100 relay in the 2012 Olympics. He has to battle his Jamaican countryman Yohan Blake, 22, the 2011 world champion and Asafa Powell, 29, a former record-holder in the 100. Some of his would-be challengers are U.S. sprinters Tyson Gay, 29, a former world champion, Walter Dix, 26, who won two bronze medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, and Justin Gatlin, 30, an Olympic champion in 2004. 

“It shows that the intensity of the competition is good and it’s going to be a great season, but I’m never worried. I’m in great shape and really focused on what I need to do. It will be the most awesome show, and I’m going there to do great things.” (For Fastest Man, A Slower step Toward London. Brian Pinelli, May 26, 2012)

USA Basketball Men’s National Team: Crème of the Crop

All is well for the USA Basketball Men’s National Team as they move closer to the Olympics. Aiming to have the best possible team, the USA Basketball team is now down to its top 15. And as they take the preliminary steps to defend USA’s 2008 gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics, a group of 15 finalists started their training camp in Las Vegas, Nevada last July 5, 2012.

The first challenge was choosing the best players to complete the roster of 12. Fifteen hopefuls had a chance to give a show in front of Jerry Colangelo (USA Basketball Chairman and Men’s National Team Director) and Mike Krzyzewski (USA and Duke University Hall of Fame head coach).

According to head coach Mike Krzyzewski, choosing the 12 roster spots is a difficult choice. The finalists who will complete the roster all possess the things they could use for the team and that it is a challenge figuring out who has something that is more important than another. When asked about the health of the players, he responded confidently that they are all in better shape as he could not see a wear and tear at all. He sees a good group and is very optimistic of creating a team as they head for London.

Kobe Bryant, meanwhile, spoke well about the team.

“We have a lot of depth. We have a great deal of versatility, speed, and agility. We have quite a few things. One of the biggest strengths for USA Basketball is guys growing up and being able to do everything. Being able to handle the ball, shoot the ball, post up. We have so many athletes that can really cover the floor. We have to take advantage of that.”

The training camp will end in a series of exhibition games before finally arriving in London for the 2012 Olympics.

World’s Mightiest Tennis Players Women’s Division

Heading off to the Olympics is a contingent of strong-willed and determined women who will compete for tennis women’s division. A roster of highly qualified athletes both from U.S and Great Britain had been selected.

The U.S. team will be headed by Serena Williams, who is looking forward to winning her first gold medal in the women’s singles. Competing with her are Venus Williams, Christina McHale, and Varvara Lepchenko.

Among the favorites are the world’s top-ranked women’s double team Liezel Huber and Lisa Raymond with the Williams sisters as their biggest threat.

Serena Williams has won 27 Grand Slams in her career, with 13 coming in singles, 12 in women’s doubles, and two in mixed doubles. She has two Olympic gold medals in women’s doubles while playing alongside with her sister Venus Williams. At the age of 30, she is already World’s No. 6.

Venus Williams, on the other hand, has won several major titles, with five of those coming from Wimbledon. Playing with her sister Serena, she won 12 grand Slam doubles titles and won two mixed doubles majors. She won the gold medal in singles in 2000 Sydney Games and two gold medals in the women’s doubles with Serena Williams. At the age of 32, she is currently World’s No. 55.

One of their biggest contenders, however, will be coming from Great Britain, as 8 women were selected to compete at the Olympic tennis tournament, with 4 coming from the wildcards. Anne Keothayong and Elena Baltacha will play in the singles, while laura Robson and heather Watson team up for doubles.

In an interview, Robson expressed, “I am honored and very excited to be representing the UK in the London Olympic Games. From the moment the announcement was made regarding London winning the Olympic bid, it was my dream to be part of Team GB.”

More is yet to come and surprises are coming to thrill the audience for the biggest Olympic event.

Tennis Men’s Division – the Favorites

One of the most anticipated events in the 2012 London Olympics is tennis. With its unprecedented twists and unexpected turn of favors from the favorite contender to the underdog, there surely are a lot of things to witness.

Several names created a buzz in the tennis world. Famous athletes like Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer , and Andy Murray are some of the early favorites due to the huge wins they amassed in their career.

Here are some of the most promising athletes in tennis men’s division.

Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (France) – A Grand Slam Finalist, former Top Five, and currently World No. 8, who had beaten Federer in Wimbledon the previous year

Juan Martin del Potro (Argentina) – A US Open Champion, former No. 4, and currently World No. 9

Tomas Berdych (Czech Republic) – Wimbledon Finalist and current World No. 7, a skillful player with a strong serve and forehand

John Isner (USA) – A big server with a 2011 Grass title, and currently the world’s No. 32, who never managed to get past the 2nd round at Wimbledon

Milos Raonic (Canada) – A young huge server and is currently the world’s No. 22

Andy Roddick (USA) – Former World No. 1 and current No. 27 with the will to compete with the best

Bernard Tomic (Australia) – Current World No. 28, a promising teenager in the world of tennis

David Ferrer (Spain) – Current No. 6, a persistent player who never quits

Andy Murray is the hometown favorite, leaving Nadal, Federer, and Djokovic more indomitable in landing the semifinals and getting the medal. Another player that would have challenged Federer for the semifinals is the very promising talented player Tomas Berdych (Czech), who is Wimbledon’s finalist in 2010. Seeing Berdych in a possible match against Murray, they could predict Murray’s win amidst cheers from fans. On the other hand, with Nadal’s impressive records, it is very likely that he win the Gold Medal.

Analysts prophesy the following:
Gold: Nadal
Silver: Djokovic
Bronze: Murray

2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony

Olympics are scheduled to take place in London for the third time, having previously hosted the events in 1948 and in 1908, the Olympics are scheduled to take place from July 27th to 12th August 2012. The opening Ceremony is an event where the host country showcases the best of their country. All competing nations also parade in this event. The climax of the opening ceremony is the entrance of the Olympic flame, which is used to light the Cauldron, thus signifying the start of the Olympic Games.

The 2012 London Olympics Opening Ceremony is set to be held on 27thJuly, with Isles of Wonder being the name given to the opening ceremony. Danny Boyle, Oscar winning director, will be the Artistic director of the London Olympics opening ceremony. The summer Olympics of 2012 will be officially opened by Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh Prince Phillip, King Edward.

The events scheduled to take place on the opening ceremony include: Receiving the Head of state, who is the Queen to the Olympic stadium; this is done by the Olympic organizing committee president, Jacques Rogge. Parade of the participating athletes/ teams in the stadium, this is a procession to the stadium by the athletes in the stadium in form of national teams. Greek team usually is the 1st in the procession followed by the host nation which is the United Kingdom.

The other activity is delivery of the speeches by LOCOG Seb Coe, Jacques Rogge, who will end by inviting the Queen to declare the games have started. Once this is done the Olympic flag is hoisted in the stadium as the Olympic anthem is played. An oath is then taken by a judge, coach and a participating athlete, vowing to judge and compete in line with the rules of their respective sport. The climax of the opening ceremony is the lighting of the Cauldron with the Olympic Flame, after it has entered the stadium. This indicates the beginning of the game. Flame will continue burning during the duration of the games.