Tech aside, what makes Phelps a superhuman phenomenon of science?
It’s impossible to definitively parse Phelps’s enormous 10-second edge over Spitz–not to mention his modern competition. But it seems like his sleeker suit and Beijing’s faster pool probably account for a second each at most. The other 8 seconds over his forbear? Better technique. For all it demands in the way of cardiovascular fitness and sheer strength, swimming is really the ultimate technique sport. “Why are records being broken?” asks George Washington University professor Rajat Mittal, a leading researcher in hydrodynamics. “Swimming is the most technical sport.” What makes a fast stroke fast? In a word, efficiency. When researchers Rick Sharp and Jane Cappaert of the International Center for Aquatic Research studied the 1992 Olympics, they concluded that swimmers who made the finals actually had a power output that was 16 percent lower than those they beat. Russian champion Alexander Popov was estimated to be using 25 to 40 percent less energy than his rivals. The key to victor
