Michael Phelps confirmed Friday what everyone else already knew: He's out of shape.

The 14-time Olympic gold medalist failed to win any of his five races earlier this week at a World Cup meet in Stockholm and, more surprisingly, didn't qualify for the finals in three of those races. There were a number of reasons for the sluggish performance (as we detailed Tuesday on Fourth-Place Medal), but Phelps revealed the true excuse today after arriving in Berlin for another World Cup competition:

"I'll be the first to admit I'm not in the greatest shape ... But I am going to get up and race as hard as I can, I tell you that."

Swimming fans, like myself, always take umbrage when casual observers say things like "swimming only matters for one week every four years". For Phelps, though, there's a lot of truth in this statement. He will only be judged by what he does in major competition like Olympics, world championships and national championships. Those are the "majors", like The Masters in golf, or Wimbledon in tennis.

The only difference is, the other tournaments still matter in golf and tennis. They're used for money lists and rankings and overall prestige. A World Cup meet in Stockholm doesn't have that same importance to a swimmer like Phelps. His reputation won't take a hit, his endorsements won't go down, there's little motivation for him to do well in these meets.

Phelps' training schedule is designed around peaking at certain times. It's all designed to have him in top form for the 2012 Summer Olympics, with another peak built-in for the 2011 world championships in Beijing. For him to be out of shape in November of 2009 is meaningless. But because the Phelps brand is so big, the American public hears about swimming events it never would have otherwise and can jump to the conclusion that Phelps is somehow finished.

He's not. He won't be. His sights are set 987 days down the road, when the London Olympics begin.

A Court of Appeal in Vancouver began hearing arguments today about why female ski jumpers should have the right to compete in the upcoming Winter Olympics. There are claims of sexism and discrimination, threats of cancelling the men's event if the women don't get a chance to jump and more sniping than a political campaign. But there's also one sobering reality for the 14 female ski jumpers who brought the lawsuit against the Vancouver Organizing Committee: With only 92 days left before the Opening Ceremony, it's difficult to envision that their ultimate goal, a medal event in the 2010 Winter Games, will be achieved.

At issue is whether the Olympics are subject to Canada's discrimination laws. In the first court case a judge said it's not, since the Winter Games are organized by the IOC and the IOC isn't subject to Canadian law. However, the counter-argument is that VANOC shouldn't be allowed to break the law since hosting the Olympics is a government activity. The judge also disagreed with that point. (Nowhere, you'll notice, do you really hear anything about ski jumping in the court case.)

Here at Fourth-Place Medal we focus on curling and swimming, not torts and Habeas Corpus, so we'll leave the legal analysis to others. As a practical matter though, this looks like an up(ski jumping)hill climb for the female jumpers.

It's tough to believe that sexism is at the root of the IOC's decision to not put women's ski jumping on the 2010 schedule. Forty years ago, maybe. (Heck, twenty years ago too.) But we now live in a world where women's hockey and boxing are on the Olympic slate. Why would there be so much resistance to ski jumping?

Like all IOC decisions, it boils down to money. If the organization thought it could make money from female ski jumping, it would have been on the schedule years ago. All of the reasons the IOC gives for keeping out the sport (not enough world championships, too few top-tier competitors) are just code for "we don't think we'll sell enough tickets or get enough people to watch on TV". 

The other main problem facing women's ski jumping is time (as in, there's not too much left). Logistical concerns like housing, security, ticketing, scheduling and transportation would make adding another event almost impossible three months out from the Olympics. Even if the Court of Appeal rules in favor of the 14 ski jumpers, an appeal by VANOC could stretch this saga out long enough to any victory by the women purely a moral one.

Win or lose, women's ski jumping is legitimizing itself. By 2014 there won't need to be any lawsuits. Next year, expect the IOC to add the sport to the schedule for the Sochi Olympics.

Superman had kryptonite. Michael Phelps apparently has non-polyurethane swimsuits.

While wearing an old-style swimsuit, the 14-time gold medalist failed to qualify for two of three finals at a World Cup meet in Sweden today. Phelps finished 16th in the 100 freestyle, was disqualified in the 100 backstroke, but qualified seventh in the 100 medley. Most of his competitors wore the high-tech suits that dominated the swimming world this year.

Since those body-length, polyurethane suits will be banned starting January 1, 2010, Phelps went back to an old textile suit (which was thought to be the height of technology when it was released in 2008) to prepare for the change. But was that really the reason he flopped so badly in Stockholm?

It played a role, but no suit could ever make 15 guys at a World Cup meet faster than Michael Phelps in the 100 freestyle. There were a number of factors which led to Phelps' poor showing today:

1) It was a short course meet. Instead of the 50 meter pools used in major international competitions, these races were held in a 25 meter pool (like at your local pool). Swimming is swimming no matter what the setting, but short course races focus more on sprint techniques like fast starts, quick turns and explosive strokes, not Phelps' forte.

2) The events weren't his specialties. As mentioned above, Phelps isn't a sprinter. He's trying to mold himself into one, but the goal is to get there by the 2012 Olympics, not at an off-peak meet in 2010. 

3) This meet isn't important: Before the meet Phelps said he was "not in the best shape". His next big event isn't until next August. Him losing these races is like Tom Brady throwing two interceptions in a preseason game. It won't worry him one bit.

4) The suit. We didn't say the suit played no factor in the losses. It's probably fourth on the list of reasons Phelps lost, but there's a reason those suits were involved in nearly 100 races last year that lowered the world record. They're fast. But, as Phelps showed in Rome, when he's at his peak he's able to overcome technology. He's not in top form now. And in 51 days, he won't have to contend with technology either.

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One hundred nights from now, the 2010 Winter Olympics will begin in Vancouver, Canada. The city held a low-key celebration to mark the countdown, highlighted by the official handing over of the Olympic village from the city to the Vancouver Olympic Committee.

Interestingly enough, there was much more celebration in New York where NBC kicked-off its Olympic coverage with an event in Rockefeller center attended by numerous Olympic hopefuls. It included ice skating demonstrations, aerial skiers on trampoline and, of course, numerous mentions of the hundreds of hours of coverage on NBC and its family of networks.

Universal Sports, NBC's Olympic cable partner, debuted a prime-time studio show tonight dedicated to the Vancouver Games. It's set to air nightly beginning on Dec. 1.

You could be the new sponsor of U.S. Speedskating (provided you like satirical, political news shows).

"The Colbert Report" has become the primary sponsor of the U.S. Speedskating team, after the previous sponsor declared bankruptcy last month. Host Stephen Colbert announced the partnership in Monday's show, alongside American speedskating legend Dan Jansen:

It's partly for show, of course, but this is still a great thing for U.S. Speedskating. The publicity, buzz and money Colbert will generate for the squad can only benefit a team that competes in anonymity for all but two weeks every four years.

The length of the partnership wasn't announced, but you definitely won't be seeing The Colbert Nation logo on uniforms at the Olympics as there are separate sponsorship deals in place for the Games. But expect to see The Colbert Nation emblazoned on the skin-tight uniforms of our nation's speedskaters through at least the first two World Cup events and, possibly, in the national championships at the end of December.

"The Colbert Report" will not be giving any money directly to U.S. Speedskating. Instead, Colbert's viewers (dubbed The Colbert Nation) will be called upon to donate to the team. This method has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Yellow Ribbon Fund, which assists injured service members.

It should be interesting to see how successful this venture is. I'm all for supporting Olympic athletes, but it's not exactly helping out wounded veterans, you know? The Dutch bank that was supposed to sponsor the team (but declared for bankruptcy last month) was slated to pay $300,000 for its sponsorship. If Colbert's viewers can get even one-third of that, it would be an admirable effort. 

The biggest sports story of the weekend didn't involve Brett Favre or LeBron James and it didn't have anything to do with the World Series either. It played out on a 26.2 mile course in the five boroughs of New York City and featured a man who would be recognized less than almost every player on an NFL, MLB or NBA roster. His name is Meb Keflezighi, and on Sunday he became the first American to win the New York Marathon since 1982.

It's a monumental achievement. U.S. runners haven't fared well in marathons in years, so for an American to stun the racing world with a win in New York should have made front-page headlines. So why has Keflezighi's win been largely ignored by the mainstream press?

There seems to be a belief that because Keflezighi was an immigrant to this country that he is somehow less American than those born within the borders. CNBC's Darren Rovell sums up this unfortunate, jingoistic refrain (but he's far from the only one who's written in this way):

... Keflezighi's country of origin is Eritrea, a small country in Africa. He is an American citizen thanks to taking a test and living in our country.

Basically, the argument is that because Keflezighi wasn't born in America, he's not American.

I suppose the fact that Keflezighi immigrated here 29 years ago at the age of 12 doesn't matter. Nor is the fact that he didn't start running competitively until he arrived in the States, went to UCLA and has never worn anything but the red, white and blue at international competitions. The silver medal he won in the Athens marathon for the USA in 2004? That's irrelevant too.

Here's the Keflezighi back story: As detailed in a Sports Illustrated story from 2005, his family immigrated to the U.S. after his father fled the country to avoid being imprisoned for supporting Eritrea's independence. That was in 1986. Meb has lived here since then.

When asked whether his East African genes make him a more successful runner, Keflezighi responded to the question by asking, "if so, then why did I lose to so many Americans in high school and college?"

But why should that even matter? Meb Keflezighi's story is what defines America. It's a textbook example of the American dream: Fleeing war, taking advantage of opportunity in this country and becoming a personal and professional success. The end of Keglezighi's tale may be remarkable, but the beginning is similar to that of millions of Americans past and present. 

Why should the fact that somebody wasn't born in this country make them any less of an American? Was Barack Obama's father not truly American because he was born in Kenya? Anybody want to tell Arnold Schwarzenegger that he's only "technically" a United States citizen? Most Americans reading this will have had an ancestor who immigrated to America at some point (my great-grandfather came in 1914). Were they not really, truly Americans? 

I've purposefully not mentioned the 800-pound gorilla in the room: whether the perceived illegitimacy of Keflezighi has to do with his race. That's a topic for another day and another writer, but let's just say that you wouldn't be wrong to play that card. (Think of it this way: If Keflezighi immigrated from Scotland, would we be having this discussion?)

The irony of it all is that the last man to win the NYC Marathon before Meb Keflezighi wouldn't qualify as being "American" either. Alberto Salazar, who took the crown in 1982, was born in Cuba. 

The world's fastest man has adopted the world's fastest animal.

As part of an effort to help protect Kenya's endangered species, Usain Bolt formally adopted a three-month old cheetah cub today in Nairobi. (What? You thought the world record holder in both the 100 and 200 meters would own a tortoise?)

Bolt bestowed one of his own nicknames upon the cub, naming him "Lightning Bolt". The three-time Olympic gold medalist paid $13,700 to adopt Lightning Bolt and will contribute $3,000 per year so it can live at an animal orphanage in the Kenyan capital. 

Initially (and understandably), Bolt was reluctant to meet a fully grown cheetah, but he seemed comfortable holding his new cub. At one point he even fed Lightning Bolt milk from a bottle.

Fully grown, Lightning Bolt will likely be able to run 65 mph at top speed, about 40 mph faster than his adopted father Usain. One cheetah at a Cincinnati zoo ran the 100 meters in just over six seconds, about 3.5 seconds faster than Bolt's human world record of 9.58. Some scientists with way too much time on their hands have also tried to apply the physics of a cheetah's running style in order to maximize the ability of human runners.

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The flame that will light the cauldron at the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver next February was lit today by the sun's rays during a ceremony Ancient Olympia, Greece. After traveling to Canada next week, the flame will make a 106-day journey through Canada before the start of the Games on February 12.

Quick, what's the first thing that pops in your head when you think of figure skating? James Bond, right?

After watching the short program of defending world figure skating champion Kim Yu-Na at the Trophy Bompard Friday, that connection may not be as far-fetched as you'd think. The South Korean skating sensation, who will be the prohibitive favorite to win gold next February in Vancouver, performed a flawless routine set to a James Bond medley yesterday, earning a near-record 76.08 from the judges. 

For good measure, she mimicked Bond's famous gun pose at the end.

As Philip Hersh points out on the LA Times Olympics blog, Kim's score would have been good for third in the men's competition.

At the start of the fourth and final rotation at the women's gymnastics all-around world championship in London, it was clear that an American would be atop the medal stand. The only question remained was which American, Bridget Sloan or Rebecca Bross?

Sloan, the American all-around champion, hit a solid, if not difficult, floor routine. When Bross, who trains at the same gymnasium as Olympic all-around champion Nastia Liukin, took the floor, she knew she needed to nail the routine to win the championship. Her first two passes were good, but on her final pass, she fell forward, placing both hands onto the mat. With that, she only scored a 12.875. That pushed her to second place, opening the door for Sloan to win the world championship. Japan's Koko Tsumuri finished in third place.

An Olympian in Bejing, Sloan's experience showed with her calm demeanor and steadiness. Her win was marked by performances that weren't as high in difficulty as her competitors, but were clean. Bross had more difficulty and a near-perfect balance beam and bars, but the floor exercise mistake was too much to come back from. Tsumuri led through two rotations, but the lack of difficulty on her vault kept her from staying at the top of the leaderboard. 

This 1-2 finish for America comes a year after the U.S. took the gold and silver in the all-around at the Olympics with Liukin and Shawn Johnson. Though there are different people leading the pack, America still dominates women's gymnastics. On the other hand, China, who had been so dominant at the Beijing Olympics, fell behind today, as neither of their athletes placed in the top five.