Phelps in the water

News surfaced on the weekend of some of Michael Phelps’ activities in South Carolina this fall — with a water pipe and not in the water — which he described as “regrettable” and demonstrating “bad judgement.”

What does this have with photography?

Great judgement was shown by Sports Illustrated photographer Heinz Kluetmeier in Beijing, where he rigged a remote camera underneath the lanes when Phelps came closest to being beaten on his golden swims.

This amazed me when I first saw it, since this was one of the defining stories of the Beijing-a-Palooza, and Heinz once again came up with a way of showing something which the ordinary person could not see.  And the gold medal for swimming coverage goes to…

See the finish frame by frame here.