The sight of British swimmer Michael Rock defeating the great Michael Phelps in the 200 metres butterflyat the short-course, Duel in the Pool in Manchester yesterday was something few believed could ever happen.
The 22-year-old law studentat Manchester University beat the 14-time Olympic gold medallist by over a second in the eight-length race, and afterwards admitted it would be something he could be dining out on for quite some time. If he does then will he be honest to admit he wore one of the dreaded polyurethane non-permeable suits that provide such a distinct advantage in terms of buoyancy and less drag, andthe conquered legend did not? It's not Rock's fault, of course. It isthe sport's fault for allowing these suits into the pool in the first place, thus leaving an asterisk against every decent performance and time (and 258 world records have been broken) since they were introduced in February last year.
Rock may care to take in Phelps' demeanour afterwards. It may have been a team event, he may have been wearing the 2010 "jammers" but in his no excuses world he was still not happy. And an unhappy Phelps at the end of 2009 means trouble at the 2011 worlds and the 2012 Olympics, where he will aim to win six more golds to make it 20 in total. Michael Rock may be nicknamed "Rocky,"but he has just earned the displeasure of the greatest heavyweight in the history of swimming.
