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Revisiting the four best athletes in men's individual sports in 2008

Let us go back an Olympiad, to August of 2008. In all four of the world's most popular men's individual sports, we were at a point when, quite possibly, the
Frank Deford|
Revisiting the four best athletes in men's individual sports in 2008
Revisiting the four best athletes in men's individual sports in 2008

Let us go back an Olympiad, to August of 2008. In all four of the world's most popular men's individual sports, we were at a point when, quite possibly, the four greatest champions ever in each of these sports was at or near his peak.

Here's where they stood as the Beijing Olympics began:

? Tiger Woods, 32 years old, still a prime age for a golfer, winner of his fourteenth major, the U.S. Open, only a few weeks ago, gloriously alone at the top.

? Roger Federer, about to turn 27 (getting a bit old for a tennis player), but about to win the U.S. Open for his thirteenth Grand Slam, one short of Pete Sampras' record.

? Michael Phelps, age 23 (peak for a swimmer), preparing to break Mark Spitz' record with an unbelievable eight gold medals -- thereby giving his whole sport more attention than it'd ever had.

? Usain Bolt, just turning 22, entering his prime, six-foot-five, a new model giant of a sprinter, obliterating world records in both the 100 and 200 meters at the Olympics.

They represent a quartet of utter, all-time greatness -- all on display during the same time period -- but who would have guessed where they would be today? And the answer is: nobody would have even come close. Surely, the betting was that Woods would have won at least five more majors and passed Jack Nicklaus' record. But Federer? Rafael Nadal was ascendant. By 2012 Federer might be, oh, a good quarterfinalist, or maybe even retired. Phelps? He'd done the incredible, and swimming is too grueling; he'd probably be gone from the sport. But surely Bolt would be at his peak, faster still, unbeatable. He was the best bet.

And yet what has happened? The Woods saga we know all too well -- he hasn't won a major since. But Federer, an old man of 31 next week, has won four, is Wimbledon champ and No. 1 in the world once more. And Bolt? The 21st century body supreme, surely getting faster -- he was going to make 2012 his plaything of majesty. Instead, Bolt comes to London not only beaten by a Jamaican countryman, Yohan Blake, but by a man who has the sub-six-feet throwback size of Jesse Owens from that ancient age.

All right, next week Bolt will have the chance to set the history we were so sure about aright again.

And Phelps... after an embarrassing, disastrous start to these Olympics, coming in fourth (an 'also-ran' place) in the 400m IM, was also shockingly upset yesterday in the 200m butterfly. Oh, he'll win more medals total than any Olympian in history, but for now, it appears he'll go out a loser. Except...

Tomorrow, he'll get another chance at Ryan Lochte, the cover boy who was supposed to supplant Phelps as the world's best -- and could he somehow find redemption then, in the 200m individual medley? Lochte has been faltering since he first whipped his nemesis, and remember -- nothing happens the way we think it should. Can Phelps, in effect, pull a Federer?

If he does, no matter how sumptuous a meal it was for him and his sport in 2008, it might not taste so good as the dessert of sweet revenge.

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Frank Deford
FRANK DEFORD

Frank Deford is among the most versatile of American writers. His work has appeared in virtually every medium, including print, where he has written eloquently for Sports Illustrated since 1962. Deford is currently the magazine's Senior Contributing Writer and contributes a weekly column to SI.com. Deford can be heard as a commentator each week on Morning Edition. On television he is a regular correspondent on the HBO show Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel. He is the author of 15 books, and his latest,The Enitled, a novel about celebrity, sex and baseball, was published in 2007 to exceptional reviews. He and Red Smith are the only writers with multiple features in The Best American Sports Writing of the Century. Editor David Halberstam selected Deford's 1981 Sports Illustrated profile on Bobby Knight (The Rabbit Hunter) and his 1985 SI profile of boxer Billy Conn (The Boxer and the Blonde) for that prestigious anthology. For Deford the comparison is meaningful. "Red Smith was the finest columnist, and I mean not just sports columnist," Deford told Powell's Books in 2007. "I've always said that Red is like Vermeer, with those tiny, priceless pieces. Five hundred words, perfectly chosen, crafted. Best literary columnist, in any newspaper, that I've ever seen." Deford was elected to the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters Hall of Fame. Six times at Sports Illustrated Deford was voted by his peers as U.S. Sportswriter of The Year. The American Journalism Review has likewise cited him as the nation's finest sportswriter, and twice he was voted Magazine Writer of The Year by the Washington Journalism Review. Deford has also been presented with the National Magazine Award for profiles; a Christopher Award; and journalism honor awards from the University of Missouri and Northeastern University; and he has received many honorary degrees. The Sporting News has described Deford as "the most influential sports voice among members of the print media," and the magazine GQ has called him, simply, "The world's greatest sportswriter." In broadcast, Deford has won a Cable Ace award, an Emmy and a George Foster Peabody Award for his television work. In 2005 ESPN presented a television biography of Deford's life and work, You Write Better Than You Play. Deford has spoken at well over a hundred colleges, as well as at forums, conventions and on cruise ships around the world. He served as the editor-in-chief of The National Sports Daily in its brief but celebrated existence. Deford also wrote Sports Illustrated's first Point After column, in 1986. Two of Deford's books, the novel, Everybody's All-American, and Alex: The Life Of A Child, his memoir about his daughter who died of cystic fibrosis, have been made into movies. Two of his original screenplays have also been filmed. For 16 years Deford served as national chairman of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and he remains chairman emeritus. He resides in Westport, CT, with his wife, Carol. They have two grown children – a son, Christian, and a daughter, Scarlet. A native of Baltimore, Deford is a graduate of Princeton University, where he has taught American Studies.

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