China is known for its Great Wall.  Michael Phelps will be forever known for his Great Haul.  The twenty-three year old swimming phenom from Baltimore, Maryland, has set a standard that may never be matched – eight gold medals in a single Olympics.

As we watched this young man outswim the world’s best swimmers, we couldn’t help but notice his broad shoulders, long torso, washboard abs, paddle-size hands, and flipper-style size fourteen feet.  Add to that his incredible physical fitness and metabolism, which are responsible for a lactic acid level that is about a third of the average swimmer’s.  On top of all that is incredible drive, will to win, and ability to stay focused, while exceeding everyone’s expectations.

While it appears that everything is going Michael’s way now, his life has not been free of disappointment, obstacles, and failure.

* His policeman father, Fred, and his teacher mother, Debbie, separated when he was only seven.   The rift between father and son is not yet healed. Fred cheered for his son from home, while mom and sisters were poolside.

* Not long before Debbie left for Beijing to cheer on her swimming sensation son, she shared Michael’s boyhood challenges.  He “never sat still, never closed his mouth, always asking questions, always jumping from one thing to another.”  While his inability to maintain focus and his fidgety behavior was bothersome, she attributed it to, “he’s just a boy.”  At age nine, however, his doctor diagnosed Michael with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, a malady shared by over four million children in the United States.

* As a 12-year-old Phelps, by his own admission, was mouthy and stubborn. He had just had a fight with another young swimmer and trashed the locker room when he first met Bob Bowman, the man who would come to be his longtime coach. The pair had an immediate argument. As Phelps would recall: “He’d seen me at the pool, running around and being benched, and said, ‘There’s no way I’m training him. That kid is uncoachable.’”

* In December 2004, Phelps was sentenced to 18 months probation after failing a drunk driving test. A judge ordered him to abstain totally from alcohol and illegal drugs during his probation and attend a victim impact panel meeting sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

Michael Phelps has learned how to finish strong.  When Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe, his long-time and now-retired rival, said he didn’t think anyone could win eight races at a single Olympics, Phelps memorized the quote and used it as motivation.

Just before winning his seventh memorable gold medal during these Beijing Olympics, Serbian’s Milorad Cavic had told Phelps that it would be “good for Phelps and the sport of swimming” if Phelps would lose this race. Using that comment as additional motivation, Phelps, who was in seventh place after 50 meters, passed all six competitors, including Cavic, to win the 100 meter butterfly final in Olympic record time.

While Cavic coasted to the finish line, thinking he had the race won, Phelps took one last mini-stroke and hit the wall one one-hundredth of a second ahead of his rival.

Each of us has a life to live and a race to run.  Each of us will experience disappointment, obstacles, and failure.  God asks us to “run with perseverance the race marked out for us” as we keep our eyes and heart fixed on Christ.

As Michael Phelps has inspired thousands of young swimmers to aspire greatness in swimming, I want to live my life in such a way that others are encouraged to give their best and live their lives for the glory of God.  I hope you do, too.

That’s all part of finishing strong!