For Americans, It's Phelps and Everyone Else, So Far

Michael Phelps has his gold medal. The rest of his teammates in the water? Well, they'll have to wait still.

Larsen Jensen took bronze in the 400m freestyle. Katie Hoff lost her world record in the 400m IM and also lost the gold, also taking bronze. The heralded Dara Torres and Natalie Coughlin couldn't do enough for the women's 400m relay team to reclaim the gold medal they lost in 2004. They took silver for the second consecutive Olympics to the Dutch. (Ryan Lochte had no other choice but to take something no better than silver in the 400 IM. He was swimming against Phelps).

Now, these results aren't bad, per se. Hoff was a disappointment for sure. Jensen and the relay team? Probably not.

But it does say one thing: in the world of (American) swimming, there's Phelps and then there's his teammates. There was a time when I thought someone like Coughlin or Hoff could be the Phelps of the women's world. However, I think there's too much parity. And, Phelps is just that awesome.

If anyone wants to break out of that huge shadow that Phelps is casting, then someone is going to have to win some gold. My gut says that Hoff, Torres and Coughlin aren't finished yet, especially Coughlin. She looked so pissed that her relay team took silver for the second consecutive Olympiad.

And right now, I wouldn't mind a little anger from the rest of this American swimming squad.