Swimmer Michael Phelps Aiming For a Gold In His Last Olympics
22 time Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps looks forward to end his awe-inspiring Olympic career on a high at Rio.
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Having ended his career once in London on what he considered a sour note, Michael Phelps enters the Rio de Janeiro Olympics pool for his second swansong, determined to bow out on his own terms. Inspired, motivated and sober, Phelps heads to Rio with the chance to add to his record total of 22 medals and to pen the happy ending he feels he denied himself four years earlier.
At the 2012 London Olympics, which he also declared would be his last, Phelps won four gold and two silver medals but walked away filled with the regret that he simply went through the motions rather than embracing the moment.
Phelps, The Co-Captain
While Phelps has been a hero for a generation of American swimmers, he has now finally become something of a mentor and elder statesman of the U.S. team. At each Olympics the U.S. swimming team picks a captain and until a July training camp in San Antonio, it had remained one of the very few honours not bestowed on Phelps.
Now, chosen as co-captain of the men’s team for the first time, he is eager to assume the leadership mantle in Rio.
Phelps Medals and Plans
Having qualified for Rio in three events, the 100 and 200 meters butterfly and 200 individual medley, he will also be a candidate for the relays as he looks to add to his astonishing tally of 18 gold medals.
Phelps has made the 100 fly and 200 medley gold medals his personal property at the last three Olympics and he could join discus thrower Al Oerter (1956-68) and long jumper Carl Lewis (1984-1996) as the only athletes to win gold in the same individual event at four consecutive Games.
He conceded that his times at the US trials would have to dramatically improve for Rio, but is confident his longtime coach Bob Bowman will have a plan to get him to the wall first.