Michael Phelps’ defeat in 2009 helped him shape his future. The 28-time Olympic gold medalist at the Rome World Championships faced a considerable beating. The 200m freestyle triumph of Paul Biedermann altered the swimming match between him and Michael.
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Meanwhile, Phelps’ response was one of the most exciting sporty things he penned in his book. The defeat fields him to perform like lightning in his upcoming matches.
The man who defeated Michael Phelps
Michael’s name correctly defines courage. His legacy of being the most decorated swimmer in history inspires many people. However, the Baltimore Bullet was left in Biedermann’s wake at the Foro Italico sports complex world championships. In addition, in the 200-meter freestyle, Biedermann defeated Phelps by 1.22 seconds.
This broke a long-standing record. In the biography of Michael ‘No Limits,’ he described his loss. He penned, “A kid from Delaware beat me in a 200m freestyle race. This would have been just the sort of thing that typically would have sparked a first-class goggles-throwing tantrum. Instead, I felt the burn inside, then let the emotion carry me through my next swims. At that meet, I had five more events. I won all five.”
Further, he wrote, “That loss has to be looked at as a – maybe the – defining race of my career. I stepped up and raced the best, I found out I was good, but not good enough. I had work to do.” This incident in 2009 fueled him enough to win four Olympic medals in the 2012 Olympic event.
The rise of Phelps after the vanquish
The crowd of the 2012 London Olympics witnessed Michael winning a gold medal in the fourth event. The American swimmer defeated fellow countryman Ryan Lochte. In addition, he proceeds to win his second Olympics gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley. The previous award he won was his first in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay.
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After his appearance in the 2012 Olympics, Michael retired. However, the unfinished business with the swimming pool pushed him toward the 2014 Olympics. Further, in the 2016 Olympics, the flying fish swam his last career matches. At last, he ended up winning five gold medals and two silver medals. Now, with the 28 Medals in his bag, he is enjoying his retired life with his family.
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