You are working on Staging1

SwimSwam Podcast: Milo Cavic on How Aaron Peirsol Pushed Him to go for Gold

On SwimSwam Podcast, we’re giving you an in-depth listen at all things swimming. Host Coleman Hodges welcomes guests and guest co-hosts alike to get perspective on our ever-changing swimming universe and break down the past, present, and future of aquatic sports.

We sat down with Milo Cavic, the legendary Serbian swimmer who almost took down Michael Phelps at the 2008 Olympics in the 100 fly. Milo recalls an interesting story from that night: as he was walking to the ready room for the final of the 100 fly, he sees his childhood friend, Aaron Peirsol. Peirsol had won a gold medal in the 100 back earlier in the meet, and Cavic goes up to congratulate him. However, Peirsol makes it a point to not let Cavic touch his gold medal. Why? Because Peirsol says in order to touch gold, you have to earn it.

Music: Otis McDonald
www.otismacmusic.com

RECENT EPISODES

42
Leave a Reply

Subscribe
Notify of

42 Comments
newest
oldest most voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
The Unoriginal Tim
4 years ago

Cavic had one event all week and wore a full bodysuit and still couldn’t beat a dude on his sixteenth swim in leggings.

Xman
Reply to  The Unoriginal Tim
4 years ago

How many Olympic medals do you have?

Xman
4 years ago

Is it possible to get more information about the 1980 Olympic Team?

History I know about the boycott and why it happened, but I don’t know the timeline. Was the swim team selected before this was announced, or did they go into trials knowing they would not be going? Also what other sports had teams selected? Did anyone (all sports) from the US go to Moscow and compete under the Olympic banner?

10U DAD
Reply to  Xman
4 years ago

I would love to learn about that also! It would also be great to read about the same questions and outcomes for when the Soviets and East Germany boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Sam
Reply to  10U DAD
4 years ago

I was on the other side (Hungary) at the time.We didn’t know until just a month before the Olympics that the team was grounded and would go to some BS goodwill games in Moscow instead. I am pretty sure it was decided that if Russia is not going (which was announced 2 months earlier) NO ONE is going. And then of course NO ONE would exclude Romania and Yugoslavia – which we also didn’t know until the last week. (I understood how Yugoslavia got away with it but not Romania) It was a mess. It felt like COVID times for sure, from another planet. There was a lot of “WTF” moments and anger and depression. I do remember that it… Read more »

Chest Rockwell
Reply to  Xman
4 years ago

Someone fact check this, but I seem to recall RL not being ranked nationally until his late teens.

Joe
4 years ago

The 1984-85 age group was pretty fun looking back.

You had Michael Phelps, Ryan Lochte, Milorad Cavic and Kris Humphries duking it out in the U10 national rankings.

Sam
4 years ago

re: out-touched Phelps – with Lezak’s 100 free relay, it was just Phelp’s Olympics, he just made it exciting

Sam
4 years ago

He was born in Anaheim, I would not label him as Serbian, but up to him, I guess

Vic
Reply to  Sam
4 years ago

Crazy he was born in Socal. Swam at the best age group program probably in the country under Pajer than Salo.
Then went to Cal Berkley but swam for Serbia in 2008. So thats why Serbs say he is 100% Serbian.

Xman
Reply to  Vic
4 years ago

His parents are from Serbia, and he could go to the Olympics as a teenager in 2000. If you’re fast enough to make Olympic A cuts and you can swim in the Olympica that young it might hard to resist.

I do wonder if he swam for the USA in 2008 would Phelps have done the 100 Fly with Crocker still swimming.

PROspect
4 years ago

Cavic is an interesting guy… What was that part about Mike Bottom living vicariously through his swimmers though? Weird.

Swam76
Reply to  PROspect
4 years ago

Made sense to me. Mike didn’t have the opportunity to compete at the Olympics due to boycott, so his goal/purpose is to help others reach the olympics and experience what he was not able to. By doing so, he is filling that void of his own. Obviously, it doesn’t take away from the swimmer experience. Just adds more of a purpose.

asdagh
Reply to  PROspect
4 years ago

You would understand if you’ve met the guy

YaYeeter
4 years ago

Is it just me or is he underrated

Xman
Reply to  YaYeeter
4 years ago

Very, and I’m still convinced he out touched Phelps.

Bruh
Reply to  Xman
4 years ago

If we’re talking physically touched the wall first then yes Cavic did so. But unfortunately for him, it’s who touched the wall hard enough to register a time that ended up winning. Would’ve completely rewrote Phelps narrative in 08. A fantastic swimmer nevertheless!! So much raw speed

Briand
Reply to  Coleman Hodges
4 years ago

The idea that Cavic touched the pads first but not forcefully enough to register is just an urban legend. This was only preliminary speculation that unfortunately took on a life of its own and persists to this day on seemingly reputable internet sites. The frame by frame underwater shots clearly show that Phelps touched the wall first. This actually laid the controversy to rest pretty early on. As a further sanity check, Cavic’s fingertip would travel about 1 cm unimpeded at gliding speed in 0.005 seconds. If his fingertip was on the wall first, it would have certainly registered as a touch within that period, so a tie would have been the worse case scenario for him. There are ties… Read more »

SuperSwimmer2000
Reply to  Briand
4 years ago

This is absolutely an urban legend. Phelps not only activated the pad first but outtouched Cavic. For Pete’s sake everyone, there is a photo by Heinz Klutemeier of Sports Illustrated that clearly shows Phelps touched first, his fingers bent back, before Cavic even touches the wall. Do a simple Google search. The photo is easy to find. Stop it with this nonsense. Phelps won outright, fair and square.

BrianD
Reply to  Coleman Hodges
4 years ago

Here is the conclusive photo … Cavic is just barely off the wall here while Phelps fingers are already substantially bent on the wall. Margin of victory > 1 cm. Omega breathed a sigh of relief and did not need to continue with the contrived “force of touch” explanation to save face.

https://www.si.com/olympics/2012/07/24/24-phelps-frame-by-frame#&gid=ci025584cc10072580&pid=phelps-miracle-finish-MTY4MTg2NTcxMTk0MzEyMDY0

Sam
Reply to  BrianD
4 years ago

does the wall have to be touched by both hands the same time?

Swam76
Reply to  BrianD
4 years ago

Looks kinda like Phelps rotated and reached with one arm more. Like more pressure on left hand. Do touch pads register the force at point of contact?

PhillyMark
Reply to  BrianD
4 years ago

it appears quite obvious who the winner is based on the picture

swimgeek
Reply to  BrianD
4 years ago

That’s a great frame-by-frame. And quite telling.

Sam
Reply to  Coleman Hodges
4 years ago

from all the pictures and the footage, it kind of feels like Cavic almost reach the wall – stopped just a 1/10 of a mm away while Phelps touched.

Irish Ringer
Reply to  Coleman Hodges
4 years ago

It’s tough to tell as Cavic’s hands are under water and Phelps above in looking at that picture. Cavic has to be kicking himself for finishing with his head up like that.

Brian M
Reply to  Coleman Hodges
4 years ago

Let’s go ahead and get this out of the way (and I say this being not the biggest Michael Phelps fan). MP touched the wall first, period. You see how Cavic’s fingers are fully extended horizontally in that picture? Yeah, no 6’5″ 200+ pound man (or any adult swimmer for that matter) going 50. something in the 100 fly, touches the wall like that unless they want to break fingers. Picture #2 clearly shows MP’s fingers on the pad vertically and it absolutely clear that Cavic had not touched yet. Let’s get this one out there too. Cavic did not “die” or swim a great 95 meters as some have commented. He swam a perfect race for 99 meters and… Read more »

swimgeek
Reply to  Coleman Hodges
4 years ago

Coleman – looks to me that in this pic, NEITHER of them have actually touched yet.

He Said What?
Reply to  Coleman Hodges
4 years ago

If anyone wants to know what Phelps thought about it, 60 Minutes did an interview with him. He said that the reason Cavic lost, was rather than streamlining INTO the wall, he made the mistake of lifting his head which stopped his forward momentum allowing Phelps to hit the wall first. He said out right that if Cavic had kept his head down rather than up, he would have won. It is clear in the footage that Cavic lifts his head while Phelps stayed low giving him that little bit of momentum to get him to the wall first.

DMacNCheez
Reply to  Xman
4 years ago

He did out touch him. The reason Phelps won is because he triggered the Pad first. Since Cavic was gliding and Phelps took a half stroke, Cavic didn’t press the pad hard enough, and although he touched it first, Phelps applied the requisite amount of pressure before Cavic. Weird stuff, but if there wasn’t a minimum amount of pressure needed, the wake from everyone diving in would stop the clock.

swimgeek
Reply to  DMacNCheez
4 years ago

Do we have to do this all over again?
It’s not that he “didn’t touch the pad hard enough.” He touched it plenty hard. It’s just that his full clock-stopping touch was done AFTER Phelps did his. And that’s the actual race that was being swum – the one that stops the clock. If you want to say Cavic won the mythical “feather touch race” that’s fine, but there’s no medals for that one.

DLswim
Reply to  swimgeek
4 years ago

Exactly @swimgeek, that’s a good way to put it. Cavic swam a great 95 m, but he ran out of steam inside the flags and lifted his head before touching the pad, allowing Phelps to out-touch him as he came home like a steam train. Some have speculated that this was a mistake on Cavic’s part, but I think he was just exhausted and couldn’t help it.

Sam
Reply to  Coleman Hodges
4 years ago

for a split second (1/100th of a second), the wall should be super-sensitive

John jay
Reply to  DMacNCheez
4 years ago

Phelps touched first. Phelps won 8 golds in 2008. Phelps won in 09. We can keep going over it if you want.

Vic
Reply to  Xman
4 years ago

Be a gracious loser.

Xman
Reply to  Xman
4 years ago

I was not trying to start a debate about it. It’s been 12 years, common knowledge for the technical reason.

Either way they both broke 50 seconds the following summer and Phelps clearly won.

Old Rocket Swimmer
Reply to  YaYeeter
4 years ago

Phelps should have been DQ’d for non simultaneous touch (left then right). Just saying

swimgeek
Reply to  Old Rocket Swimmer
4 years ago

This is not baseball with a challenge call on every bang-bang play

About Coleman Hodges

Coleman Hodges

Coleman started his journey in the water at age 1, and although he actually has no memory of that, something must have stuck. A Missouri native, he joined the Columbia Swim Club at age 9, where he is still remembered for his stylish dragon swim trunks. After giving up on …

Read More »