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Michael Andrew (left) takes a selfie with his family. Photo: AP

He has the same first name, is 16 and talented. Are we seeing the next Michael Phelps?

Michael Andrew comes from a 'weird' family determined to make him the biggest thing in the pool after his Olympic hero

AP

They will be the first to concede they are "kind of a weird family". They don't mind the label at all.

For Michael Andrew & Co, conformity just isn't their style.

Andrew turned pro when he was 14. He is home-schooled and trains differently than most of his competitors.

With his parents by his side every step of the way, he believes he has broken more age-group records than any swimmer in US history, more than 80 in all.

I've never believed in the way people train. If we're training for the 100 free, he's training at the pace he races

Peter Andrew

Now 16 and with the Olympics less than a year away, he is firmly focused on making it to Rio. Don't bet against him, even if there are plenty of questions about the path he and his family have chosen.

Michael Phelps is among those taken aback at some of Andrew's choices.

"That's kind of crazy," said Phelps, the most decorated athlete in Olympic history. "But to each their own."

Indeed, the Andrew clan - and they always come as a package deal, with Michael joined by father Peter, his coach; mother Tina, his manager; and 14-year-old sister Michaela, who handles the cooking duties - has never worried about fitting in.

Michael trains in a two-lane pool built in the family's backyard in Lawrence, Kansas.

His father puts him through a regimen that challenges one of the sport's long-standing tenets: swimmers should do thousands of yards, pushing themselves to the brink of their physical limits, before tapering back so they can be fresh for important meets.

Andrew trains in short bursts, always at the speed he would use during the actual race for whatever event he is working on.

His father believes the method is backed by science, relying on the theories espoused by one of the revolutionaries of human performance, Dr Brent Rushall.

"I've never believed in the way people train," Peter Andrew said during the recent US national championships in San Antonio, Texas, where Michael competed in both the junior and senior competitions.

"If we're training for the 100 free, he's training at the pace he races," the father went on.

 

"If he's training for the 200 free, he's training at that pace. When he doesn't make the pace, we stop. He never goes into fatigue state. That's why he can swim faster all the time. He doesn't need to taper. He's always fresh."

Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman, said Andrew clearly had the talent and physique (he is already nearly 1.98 metres, and weighs about 86kg) to someday become one of the world's top swimmers.

But, like many on the pool deck, Bowman wonders if the Andrew Way will really work out for the best in the long term.

"You always worry about too much too soon," Bowman said. "You don't want him to get burned out."

Peter Andrew knows there are plenty of sceptics questioning whether he and his wife are just another set of parents who got far too involved in their child's life, who are trying to live out their own dreams through him.

Peter was a swimmer in his native South Africa, while Tina, also from South Africa, competed on the British version of the made-for-television competition .

The father said there was nothing improper about being such a big part of Michael's life. And, he added, the stereotype of the overbearing parents pushing their single-minded focus on their son could not be further from the truth.

"He has a life," Peter Andrew said. "We do a lot of fun stuff. It's not just swim, swim, swim."

Indeed, Michael comes across as mature beyond his years and an extremely well- adjusted young man.

He has plenty of interests outside the pool, beaming when he talks about flying his drone or his desire to get a dirt bike or the deep religious faith passed on by his parents.

"For so many people, it's just eat, sleep and swim," Michael said. "For me, it's eat, sleep, swim, shoot my bow, wakeboard, GoPro, ride bikes, have fun. Then swim again and eat and sleep."

"We believe our kids are a gift we've been given," Peter said.

This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: Is he really the next Michael Phelps?
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