Varina crane operator Michael Phelps said today that he is enjoying his newly found fame on the heels of the Olympian 
of the same name winning eight gold medals in swimming.
“I was picking up a case of beer the other day and got carded, and the guy at the counter was just blown away by the similarities,” said the 25-year-old Phelps, who is unable to swim freestyle, backstroke, breaststroke or the butterfly but once moved three steel I-beams into place in less than 30 minutes during a heavy wind.
“What [the swimmer] has done for this name is truly unbelievable, and I can’t be more proud to be a Phelps,” added the 252-pound Phelps, who is unrelated to the athlete.
Similar Olympics-related attention was unwanted, however, by local advertising account executive Shawn Johnson, who explained last week that “everyone goes around now saying that I have a chick’s name.”
1 Comment
August 19, 2008 at 2:53 am
He should enjoy it. When I was young there was a famous white track athlete named Paul Williams. I got a lot of credti for the track meets. Currently, I own a contractors and construction advertising website.
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