Hickman targets Phelps

[Bazza]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/swimming/3545906.stm

He's having a laugh isn't he?! Apart from the fact Phelps isn't the man to beat in the 100 fly, Hickman's lifetime best from April leaves him ranked 14th in the world and over two seconds off Ian Crocker's world record swim from the US Trials. He'll be lucky to make a final.

[lane4]

Yes what a joke. He is just losing credibility saying such things.

But what has happened to Bill's media ban!? With Hickman saying this and yesterday James Gibson was interviewed by Steve Cram on BBC1's Road to Athens programme it seems the ban has been either lifted or broken?

[swimbuoy]

He seems to be having one last shot at raising his profile prior to retirement it seems!! Phelps could beat him swimming with one arm behind his back.

As for a media ban, add todays Sunday Express to the list of recent GB swimmer quotes.

[Tara]

I'm sure I read in the paper today that Bill had lifted the media ban for some swimmers. They have certainly been splashed over the papers and on the news the last 24hrs or so. Karen Pickering and James Gibson were interviewed on Sky Sports yesterday, and Pickering was in one of the broadsheets today too. There was also the "open" letter from Sweetenham to the team which was talking about their discipline etc etc.
Don't know if this has already been posted somewhere but its quite interesting :Sweetenham (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?view=DETAILS&grid=&xml=/sport/2004/08/08/soswee08.xml) and also glad to see Thorpe has thrown down the gauntlet by remembering his name :p Thorpe (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/olympics_2004/swimming/3539354.stm)

[londoner62]

Phelps could beat him swimming with one arm behind his back.
The ref :read: might not agree!

[Bazza]

Yeah saw that Sweetenham article in the telegraph yesterday. Maybe the ban has been relaxed to help raise the profile of the swimmers as we are now just 5 days away from the action!?

[Tara]

It says here he has released 6 people to be able to talk to the media :
It's good to talk (Herald) (http://www.theherald.co.uk/sport/21581.html)

[Tara]

Just read the following by Derek Robson on the BBC Site Link:BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/3548534.stm)

Redgrave Spits on Spitz

"I was glad to see Sir Steve Redgrave come out ahead of the rest as the BBC's Most Memorable Olympic Moment.

I'm always annoyed that Mark Spitz's gold medal haul strikes such awe into people. Not that Spitz didn't do well, it's just that swimming is designed to hand out as many medals as possible.

I don't see the point of all them strokes, meself.

If you win the 100 metres freestyle you can say you're the fastest swimmer in the world, right?

If you win the 100 metres breaststroke, you're the fastest swimmer in the world at going slowly. If you win the butterfly, then you're the fastest swimmer in the world whilst looking like you're drowning.

Then of course you've got the bloody medley, where you can chuck around some more metal at Americans and Australians. It's a nonsense.

I mean in athletics you don't have the 100 metres hop and the 200 metres bumshuffle.

So Spitz's seven looks good, but if I had my way they'd reduce the swimming to 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1500 metres and leave a bit of space for people who like to watch sport without breathing in that manky chlorine."

[GettingFaster]

I love Steve Redgrave - despite all the hard work he put into his sporting career he can still find a way to have fun. I'm sure this was done purely tongue-in-cheek, and a pat on the back to the bloke for being able to keep a great sense of humour.

[Tara]

I love Steve Redgrave - despite all the hard work he put into his sporting career he can still find a way to have fun. I'm sure this was done purely tongue-in-cheek, and a pat on the back to the bloke for being able to keep a great sense of humour.
Its not said by Steve Redgrave, its by Derek Robson.... (and I am sure he meant it tongue in cheek too)
Yes we all love Steve Redgrave! And I don't think he'd say that about swimming even as a joke, as he's just been to visit the GB swimming team in Cyprus and given them a talk on the Olympics!

[lane4]

Yes we all love Steve Redgrave! And I don't think he'd say that about swimming even as a joke, !
If he did he just lost a lot of respect and support.

[GettingFaster]

Its not said by Steve Redgrave, its by Derek Robson....
Duh! Sorry, just having a bit of a blonde moment there. (Looks like lane4 is suffering from a sense of humour bypass as well.) :D

[glen_75]

I don't see the point of all them strokes, meself.
Do you think Robbo will change his tune if Mew, Sexton, or others come home with gold?

Apart from football his sporting acuity is scant. Redgrave would be a more appropriate career olympian winner rather than best moment.

[matt]

Robbo

That just completely confused me

[Bazza]

Obviously Redgrave was going to come out on top - a British sporting legend. But Spitz is an Olympic legend because nobody else has done that or even come close. I'm sure I read that somebody has won 8 medals at a single games but can't remember which sport.

Derek Robson seems to write articles intended to stir things up rather than be accurate or display very much knowledge of the subject. Maybe if he had any idea what it takes to even make it to the Olympics in a sport like swimming, let alone win 7 gold medals in 7 world record times, he would keep his mouth shut.

He mentions athletics, which of course does have variations such as hurdles, long jump and triple jump. No doubt some people have doubled up on throwing events before. If it's so easy, why don't decathletes or heptathletes just compete in all the individual events - they could come home with a hatful of medals, simple!

[swimbuoy]

Obviously Redgrave was going to come out on top - a British sporting legend. But Spitz is an Olympic legend because nobody else has done that or even come close. I'm sure I read that somebody has won 8 medals at a single games but can't remember which sport.

Derek Robson seems to write articles intended to stir things up rather than be accurate or display very much knowledge of the subject. Maybe if he had any idea what it takes to even make it to the Olympics in a sport like swimming, let alone win 7 gold medals in 7 world record times, he would keep his mouth shut.

He mentions athletics, which of course does have variations such as hurdles, long jump and triple jump. No doubt some people have doubled up on throwing events before. If it's so easy, why don't decathletes or heptathletes just compete in all the individual events - they could come home with a hatful of medals, simple!

Yes what an idiot Derek Robson has shown himself to be. It will all pale into insignificance this discussion as Phelps wins 7 golds at this, & the next two Olympics!! ;) ;)

[FlyingBean]

I don't see the point of all them strokes, meself.

So Spitz's seven looks good, but if I had my way they'd reduce the swimming to 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1500 metres and leave a bit of space for people who like to watch sport without breathing in that manky chlorine[/I]."

Even said in jest, it's not funny. I'd guess it's just a case of opening mouth wide enough to fit both feet in at the same time.

Using the same argument you could say that gymnastics has the same issues, but anyone with a just a bit of intelligence could see that each element is distinctly different.

And, although athletics doesn't have a 200m bumshuffle they do have sprints, hurdles, steeplechases, cross country, running and then throwing something (javelin), spinning in circles and throwing something (discus etc), running & jumping (long-jump), running, hop, skip and jumping (triple jump). Oh and there's always the pentathlon. Obviously just the same as swimming then??!!

Back to my little corner now!

[Steve]

Its not said by Steve Redgrave, its by Derek Robson.... (and I am sure he meant it tongue in cheek too)

It's definitely meant as ahumourous article - the clue's in the URL!

news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/funny_old_game/3548534.stm

[Bazza]

We know Steve, but that still doesn't mean we aren't offended!