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Coach says Phelps cannot better Beijing
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-08-21 07:46 BEIJING - The coach of Michael Phelps has given up on the American bettering his record of eight Olympic gold medals at a single Games. Bob Bowman said Phelps had raised the bar so high with his performances in Beijing that it was virtually impossible for anyone to break his record.
Phelps has already committed himself to four more years of training in order to compete at the 2012 Olympics in London but Bowman said they were planning a lighter program next time. "I can't imagine that it's possible for someone to do better within the program we have," Bowman said Wednesday. "If they want to add a couple of days then maybe, but that was a very special accomplishment and we're not looking to replicate it. "We're just going to try and move forward and set some other goals. I think this is a high watermark in terms of the total number of medals." Bowman, 43, said Phelps wanted to try backstroke and 100 meters freestyle after demolishing his own 200 freestyle world record during the Beijing Olympics. He ruled out any thoughts of a possible assault on retired Australian Ian Thorpe's 400 world record. "I think it will only help his 200 to have a faster 100 so that fits in well with what we're trying to do it but there's no chance of going up," Bowman said. "I think that he has goals to work towards and things that are exciting to us and that will mean doing something that's new." Bowman, who breeds and races thoroughbreds, also said he was thinking about changing his strict policy of not naming his horses after Phelps but was yet to decide on the right moniker. "I thought about Phelpsy, for the Australians, but probably not," he said. "I just think that's a lot of pressure to put on a horse. "My horses aren't nearly as good as Michael is at swimming but I'll probably come up with something that has Michael in it."
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