HERCULEAN OLYMPIAN - MICHAEL PHELPS

Olympics is the greatest sporting event and winning a Gold Medal in the Olympics will be the dream and lifetime achievement for every sports personality.  Winning Gold Medal at regular intervals is a herculean task and not many individuals have achieved the feat of winning Gold Medals repeatedly at regular intervals like the great "Micheal Phelps".  He has won 22 Medals in the Olympics of which 18 are Gold Medals.

It is pertinent to note here that India has participated in Olympics over 112 years and has so far won 23 medals as a Nation.  To put Michael Phelps achievement in that context shows how herculean this individual's performance has been.

He is an athelete with ADHD (Attention Deficiency Hyperactive Disorder).  Millions in the world are affected by this condition which means having difficulty in sustaining attention, hyperactivity and impulsive behaviour.  The children who are affected by ADHD will struggle to perform well in studies as their span of concentration and attention is very poor.  With proper early detection and medication the children with ADHD are treated properly and they grow up to be normal adults.

Michael Phelps was also affected by ADHD and was diagnosed when he was only 9 years old.  His mother thought the swimming pool will be the best place for Michael Phelps to burn off the excess energy and hyperactivity.  Though he was unable to concentrate at school and study well he had the ability to wait for four hours to compete in swimming races.

Despite the ADHD condition at an young age Michael Phelps has achieved this herculean success in his life purely through hard work and dedication.  He has somehow found a liking for swimming and has concentrated intently on that.  It is the love for the sport that has brought him in limelight across the length and breadth of the world.

I salute this most decorated olympian.  Michael Phelps will be a great inspiration for many millions of children across the world.

T.P.Anand
Dubai, U.A.E.
4th August 2012