The Michael Phelps Diet and Other Olympic Headlines

Since Michael Phelps is the latest athlete to reach iconic status it seems as though fans want to know everything about him. People can’t get enough of the 23-year-old “Aquaman” phenom and are dying to know what he eats and what he is listening to in his iPod. Apparently, he’s big into rap/hip hop and carbs. Lots and lots of carbs. Sugar too. Indeed, back in the day when I swam competitively we ate as much carbs and sugar as we wanted to. At any rate, Phelps will try to get to eight gold medals today. He certainly looks poised to achieve that goal. Good luck, Michael!

Speaking of swimmers…Yahoo! Sports has been solving “mysteries” of the Games. One was the aforementioned playlist on Michael Phelps’ iPod. Another mystery? Why did the diving competitors shower after every dive? The mystery of the showering divers was explained as the athletes keeping their muscles from getting tight. Interestingly, one analyst that gets paid to report about sports said that “they just want to have fun”. I’m trying to figure out why it is “fun” to shower off in front of the world but I guess to each their own.

Another Yahoo! Sports Olympic mystery solved was that of the black stuff on Kerri Walsh’s shoulder. Some people thought she was hiding a tattoo. That could make sense since being out in the sun all that time would cause it to fade. The stuff is actually something called kinesio tape and is there since she recently had surgery on the shoulder.

One athlete in the Olympics believes that everyone is plotting against him. Ara Abrahamian of Sweden was stripped of his bronze medal for wrestling when he took it off, dropped it on the ground, and walked off. He was protesting a disputed penalty call that cost him a match and apparently there was a similar situation that caused him a loss in 2004. Either someone is “out to get him” or he’s a magnet for bad calls…either way, its pretty sad.

In other medal-stripping news, a North Korean shooter and a Vietnamese gymnast got into hot water for failing doping tests. The shooter reportedly used a drug that prevents trembling for events such as archery and shooting. The gymnast tested positive for a banned diuretic.

Others around the blogosphere are finding other interesting topics at the Olympic Games. And One has a gem about parenting that you should check out. Afraid of Ed Hochuli has a hostile editorial about cheating. Women’s Sports Blog is keeping track of the medals won by women. This is in two parts so far. The Athletic Women Blog links us to the secret behind Chinese weightlifting success.

What is your favorite Olympic story so far?