His body has been described as a “freak of nature” and “transhuman.” The BBC has a comprehensive break-down on why it’s perfect for swimming. But as I watched 23-year-old US Olympian Michael Phelps win his 7th gold last night, I couldn’t help but think “Marfan Syndrome.”
Marfan Syndrome is a rare genetic condition that affects the connective tissue in the the body. Some of the more obvious physical features seen in Phelps include:
- Wing span much greater than height
- Long and slender fingers/toes
- Protruding sternum (pectus carinatum)
- Hyperflexibility of joints
- Long narrow face
- Small jaw
- Overcrowding of teeth
Unfortunately, Marfan Syndrome is also associated with a high risk for a fatal heart condition in which the major vessel leading from the heart can tear.
A quick google search made it clear that I am far from the first person to have linked the swimmer with this condition. Phelps himself writes about being evaluated for Marfan Syndrome in his autobiography Beneath the Surface:
I could feel something wrong one day when I dove into the water at practice. My heart was accelerating and Bob suggested I see the doctor. Because I was very flexible and had long hands and feet, I had some early symptoms of Marfan Syndrome. (Page 66)
In his book, Phelps goes on to say that he is regularly monitored and his heart is in good shape. It is not clear from his recount whether he has been given a definitive diagnosis of the condition, and out of personal curiosity I wonder whether he has had genetic testing. But if in fact he does have Marfan Syndrome, we can expect a 50% chance that little Michael Phelps offspring will share their father’s unique physique and potential for swimming prowess.
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Post Script: Phelps’ possible genetic advantage is generating some interesting ethical discussions in the blogosphere
Marfan’s came to mind when I watched that first relay.
Genetic conditions are apparently often on my mind because my own child has Turner Syndrome and is an athlete. — I especially look at gymnasts.
By: Sherry on August 17, 2008
at 4:31 am
I think he might have had symptoms, but people with Marfan syndrome usually have shortened torsos and what looks like a hunched back
By: um on March 11, 2010
at 11:26 am
that’s so bizzare. my cousin has marfan’s, and it looks a lot different than what i see here. she is very long and slender, but her chest bone protrudes much more, she had scoliosis, and her legs are super long (she is VERY short-waisted).
By: Sarah on August 17, 2008
at 1:46 pm
Michael Phelps is, without a doubt, the face of his sport just like Tiger Woods, Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Muhammad Ali, Brett Favre, Roger Federer and Babe Ruth. However, for all that he accomplished in this years Olympic games, I still don’t think he ranks in the top 5 of all-time Olympians.
Here is my TOP 5 All-Time Olympians:
http://kowalkerjourney.com/2008/08/17/michael-phelps-greatest-olympian/
By: Erik on August 17, 2008
at 4:38 pm
Learning that Michael Phelps may have a genetic condition – Marfan Syndrome – that predisposes him to swimming domination, I recalled what Pierre Lafontaine, the ceo of Swimming Canada, said when asked of Phelps in an interview with the Globe and Mail, “he has great genes.”
After watching the swimming phenom smash world records countless times over and win a remarkable eight gold medals at the Beijing Games, his “great genes” also got me thinking about “natural” advantages in sport.
The anti-doping efforts at the Beijing Games have been more extensive than ever so on the surface, the performance of the athletes is natural and fair. But because of recent advantages in both technology and science, they may be the most unfair games yet.
In the water cube, records are falling in nearly every race with the advent of Speedo’s Fastskin LZR Racer. Records too are being smashed on the track, no doubt designed to aid athletes in their quest for Olympic gold.
Doping in sport is nothing new, but it seems as athletes strive to be “swifter, higher, stronger” the line separating fair competition and cheating becomes all the more blurred, especially when you add technological or scientific advances to the mix.
A troublesome question arises when considering whether Phelps’ natural genetic advantage is unfair. Would it be reasonable for athletes to gene dope so they can acquire genetic characteristics that would predispose them to athletic greatness? Or to simply level the playing field putting them in the same competitive arena much like the LZR suit has for swimmers?
More questions come to mind,
Where do we draw the line when it comes to enhancing an athlete’s “natural” ability?
And,
After watching countless records fall in Beijing, do fans of sport really care how “natural” the games are?
Related links:
http://www.clevelandleader.com/node/6284
http://tierneylab.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/08/13/whats-natural-about-olympic-athletes/?scp=2&sq=genetics%20and%20olympics&st=cse
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080808.wolym-maki-phelps-08/BNStory/beijing2008
By: Cait on August 18, 2008
at 1:15 am
Correction: I said MY top 5 All Time Olympians. I should have said HIS (the L.A. Times writers Philip Hersh’s) top 5. My bad.
By: Erik on August 18, 2008
at 3:38 am
@Cait I really liked your comment could have been a nice blogpost in itself.
“After watching countless records fall in Beijing, do fans of sport really care how “natural” the games are?”,
The follow-up question must be – are we going to care how “natural” things are in all aspects of life, not only in sports, in the (near) future ?
By: sciphu on August 18, 2008
at 7:07 am
For those that are calling Phelps a “freak”, he’s no more of a freak than someone who has it in their family genes to be tall & so they’re great at basketball because they are over 7 feet tall.
He’s no more of a “freak” than someone who has it in their family genes to be muscular & so they’re great at football or weight lifting.
We all have good & bad elements inherited in our genes. It’s what you do with them that makes you into a world class athlete. . .
By: . on August 19, 2008
at 2:10 pm
Thing is people with Marfan’s syndrome have extremely elongated limbs (both arms and legs) whereas Phelps has long arms yet short legs/long torso. In my opinion that makes him even more of a physical oddity since people with long arms tend to have long legs as well or vice versa. This basketball player probably looks likely to have Marfan’s:
http://lh4.ggpht.com/_toRq6KFKt5A/RdEWzyj_tBI/AAAAAAAABnc/PHpiD3VBv6c/sec.jpg
*note his arms and legs are very elongated (7,3″ height but with an 8,1″ wingspan!)
By: Aram Mohammed on August 20, 2008
at 3:01 am
Aram- you make a good point.
I think it is also important to note that a clinical diagnosis of Marfan syndrome requires not only measurements of arms and legs. A complete Marfan evaluation includes detailed and specific examination of the eyes, heart, spine, skin and hips. Many of these other features of Marfan Syndrome cannot be seen by the naked eye. So even though someone may outwardly appear to have a marfan-like appearance, they may not meet criteria for a clinical diagnosis if specific features in these other parts of the body are absent.
As I pointed out above, the passage in Phelps’ autobiography talks about being evaluated for Marfan Syndrome, but does not say whether or not he was ever given a definitive diagnosis of the condition. I think that is very important to keep in mind.
The more interesting issue, in my opinion, was brought up by the anonymous commenter above:
“We all have good & bad elements inherited in our genes. It’s what you do with them that makes you into a world class athlete. . .”
Whether Michael Phelps has Marfan Syndrome or not, I think it is clear that he would not be the athlete he is today without will, determination and extremely hard work.
By: alliejanson on August 20, 2008
at 1:34 pm
My son Liam bore an uncanny resemblence to Phelps. He was 6ft 10ins when he died age 22 while backpacking in Australia in August 2006. Liam had many of the physical features associated with marfan but, his condition went undiagnosed despite visits to doctors and consultants throughout his life. His immense height, pigeon chest, hyper flexible joints and flat feet were all investigated but, doctors failed to recognise marfan.
Liam particpated in sport throughout his life, football being his greatest passion. He swam and even had a go at Australian rules footy ‘down under’ not long before he felt ‘unwell’. Chest pain led to the diagnosis of an aortic dissection and a team of brilliant doctors operated and saved his life. We got to Oz in time to see him but, tragically he died of a seizure 24hrs after we arrived.
Marfan can and continues to go undiagnosed in young men and women.
By: Alan Gash on August 26, 2008
at 3:34 pm
I’m sorry for your loss, Alan. I was a competitive swimmer for **many** years and have ALL the Marfan’s signs include chest, face, armspan, etc. And yet no docter EVER said anything. Not even my father who is also a doctor.
In fact, when I complained of chest symptoms, the cardiologist tried to get me to go faster on the treadmill to see how high my heart rate would go! But she was adamant there was nothing wrong with me.
So I’m sorry to say that the medical community is ignorant — and often willfully so. They cannot make common sense observations. I was an excellent swimmer, and no doubt this genetic trait helped, but I quit swimming when I realized I had a problem. Maybe it saved my life, who knows?
By: Alec on September 17, 2008
at 8:03 pm
I seriously doubt Phelps has Marfan’s. Like I mentioned he has long arms yet short legs whereas people with Marfan’s have BOTH long arms and LEGS. Additionally, if he had Marfan’s I doubt his heart could take the stress of his athletic career. This former NCAA basketball player, 7,3″ Shagari Alleyne, based on his physical features (i.e. disproprotionately long arms and legs, extremely elongated face, and etc) , more likely has MS than Phelps.
By: Aram Mohammed on September 28, 2008
at 7:19 pm
[...] Saved by Xevious76 on Fri 19-12-2008 To Write Again… Saved by alan1948 on Sun 14-12-2008 Michael Phelps and Marfan Syndrome? Saved by JackieDel on Fri 12-12-2008 Invalid Saved by mooncowslow on Tue 02-12-2008 Bitter [...]
By: Recent Links Tagged With "syndrome" - JabberTags on December 26, 2008
at 1:19 pm
i have i case of marfans.. a lot like this i wouls say.. i think its awesome to see someone eles so much like my self doing so good. im a bodybuider/power lifter so im just happy that i didnt get it to a degree where i couldnt build muscle..
i think its an advantage in some cases, im ok with everything but the joint pain/ osteoarthritis it sucks but w/e, just pain… im getting my echo soon to make sure my hearts ok
By: sam bell on February 6, 2009
at 11:32 pm
He doesn’t look like he has Marfan’s to me. The features you mention are much more pronounced in Marfan’s cases. While his features are somewhat unique, he appears more properly proportioned than the Marfan’s men I’ve seen.
By: Boo on March 27, 2009
at 6:59 pm
Just because he has doesn’t have ALL the features doesn’t mean he doesn’t have some form of the mutation. My brother has marfan’s. He’s very tall (6’5″) and skinny, has about a 6’10″ wingspan, is extremely flexible, long fingers and toes, and the weird teeth. He however does not have the heart problems or the vision problems yet he has still been diagnosed (my nephew is also rather tall and lanky for a 2 month old so I think he may have acquired it too. Is there any way to tell in infants?).
What I wanna see, is YECs try to tell me that there are no such thing as beneficial mutations. Even if Phelps doesn’t have it, I’ve seen my big brother dominate people in basketball, volleyball and ultimate frisbee.
By: Neovenator on June 4, 2009
at 11:15 pm
no way, his body is proportioned due to extreme workouts, its muscle bulk. marfans heart as said would not allow for such performance for one. his body is accentuated with his low riding pants.
By: fred on October 17, 2009
at 2:47 am