You might be misinterpreting what he's saying. He's not saying if you work hard and practice you can be Phelps. What he's saying is that if you work hard and

You might be misinterpreting what he's saying. He's not saying if you work hard and practice you can be Phelps. What he's saying is that if you work hard and practice you can become a very good swimmer, even if not world class. You jumped to that conclusion on your own - studying math hard doesn't mean you'll end up an Andrew Wiles, it means you too can gain an understanding of mathematics. Not all mathematicians are celebrity scholars, there are plenty of average mathematicians that are moving the field forward inch by inch.