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By Mel Stewart // Swimnetwork.com Columnist

Milorad gained international fame at the Olympics in Beijing as the man who almost beat Michael Phelps. Many fringe swimming fans still think he did. Milorad and Michael’s 100m butterfly photo-finish, the most reviewed of the 29th Olympics, remains a slow-burning internet debate.

Milorad’s in the media again. This past weekend he starred in a meet in Bolzano, Italy. Along with Randall Bal and Nick Brunelli of the USA, Milorad, a Serb, teamed up with Vladislav Polyakov, a Kazakhstani, in a sort of United Nations 4x50 medley relay. They tried to beat the world record, but missed it by five-tenths of second. (FINA couldn’t recognize their effort anyway. Relay world records can only be broken by four swimmers from the same country.)

The provocative relay, a part of Andrea di Noni’s ADN Swim Project, was in fact a charitable effort. Had Milorad and his relay-mates topped the medley world mark, a donation would have been made to Coach Michael Lohberg to help cover his hospital costs. (Lohberg, the man behind Dara Torres’ fifth comeback, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia right before the Olympics.)

Back in the spring, he got bounced from the European Championships for wearing a T-shirt. It wasn’t just any T-shirt. It was stenciled with Milorad’s charged political opinion: Kosovo is Serbia.

I remember reading the story, wondering what kind of a swimmer would use an international stage to remind people of that 1990s war. At first, I was convinced I couldn’t like the guy, until I met him and spoke to him.

Milorad’s not a violent person. He’s never been in a fight. From his March 23th blog he wrote: “...my shirt wasn’t about war or to provoke violence.” Simply put, Milorad is nationalist. He believes “Kovoso is Serbia,” and he felt his shirt sent a positive message: Unite.

Milorad’s just an interesting guy, and often times this year, he has been unfairly characterized.

After the Olympic 100m fly final, many in the media vilified him for being a sore loser. Others vilified his coach, Mike Bottom, for filing a protest. Both claims were false.

Coach Bottom (formerly of the Race Club, and now the head coach of the University of Michigan) did not file a protest. The Serbian Olympic Committee did. As for Milorad being a sore loser, nothing could be further from the truth. I spoke with him right after his race, and while he was disappointed, he was also very proud of his time and for showing the world that he was a force to reckon with.

“I have complete respect for Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer in the world,” he said. “I would’ve loved to have won, but hey,” he shrugged, then smiled wide, “I am now an Olympic medalist.”

At the Olympics, I hung out with several high-profile reporters from publications with a worldwide audience. While many weren’t authorities in swimming, they were sharply tuned to each athlete’s psychological make-up. I checked in with them often to pick their brains. Interestingly, they were impressed by how well Milorad handled himself after his close Olympic race. On a more entertaining note, many were enamored by Milorad’s “intelligence” and “charm.”

It was charm, I thought, when I heard that adjective repeated over and over again. Milorad’s got a way about him that intensely competitive and at the same time easy-going.

The first time I met Milorad was at the Omaha Swimvitational, three weeks before U.S. Olympic Trials. It was a quick interview because I was wearing my media-hat and wasn’t supposed to be near the warm-down pool. Within a minute of talking, Milorad didn’t disappoint me. He declared with a tiny grin that Michael Phelps could absolutely be beaten.

I thought: Sure dude. Good luck with that one. But that was only my quick initial response. After two more minutes of talking I almost wanted to believe in his charming confidence. For the record I did believe not he had a chance against Michael Phelps. At the Olympics, I was just as surprised as everyone when Milorad led for 99 percent of the race.

Next year, at the World Championships in Rome, the 100m butterfly will be the most anticipated race. However, if Michael drops the 400m I.M. from his repertoire, I can’t see how Milorad could challenge him. The 400m medley requires so much distance training Michael’s speed has surely suffered. If Michael focuses on his shorter races and strength, I think a 49 low in 100m butterfly is in range. Milorad has already dropped so much time I doubt he’ll see another big drop again...