“If Your Wingspan Is Longer Than Your Height…”: Michael Phelps Once Revealed How His Physical Gifts Nearly Turned Out to Be the Biggest Curse for Him

The more you read about Michael Phelps, the more unique qualities you come to know about him. Having endured a difficult childhood, Phelps overcame multiple adversities to become swimming’s undisputed GOAT. Even after his 2008 Beijing Olympics miracle, Phelps continued fighting mental health issues.

Mental health issues weren’t the only thing eclipsing Michael’s mind. The 6’4″ tall Michael and his enormous wingspan, which were two of the biggest guns in his arsenal, almost became a life-threatening anomaly.

Michael Phelps’ physique could have been troublesome

The tall stature of Michael Phelps has always been considered to give him an edge over his competition. But that was not all. Phelps had a tremendous wingspan of 6’7″ that aided his swimming excellence. Another arrow in Michael’s quiver was his unusual lactic acid advantage. Adding to the already incredible lineup, Phelps is said to be double-jointed, which meant he could push his feet further back, thus acting as natural flippers which would help him glide along.

While all these may seem to be physical gifts, some of Michael’s attributes were also a cause of concern for his life. Addressing the same in his autobiography, Phelps wrote about the possibility of him having Marfan Syndrome. He wrote, “I could feel something wrong one day when I dove into the water at practice. My heart rate was accelerating, and Bob suggested I see the doctor.”

READ MORE: Michael Phelps’ Former Physician Settled Claims About His Biological Advantages With a Bold Statement: “Don’t Think We Would Find Any Glaring Abnormalities”

Phelps added because he had long feet and was flexible, “I had some early symptoms of Marfan Syndrome.” The syndrome is a disease that affects the connective tissues and can cause leakage in the vessels that lead to the heart. Michael explained, “If you reach out your arms and form a T and your wingspan is longer than your height, you can be at risk.” But Phelps confirmed he was not suffering from the condition. “Fortunately, everything was, and still is, okay. I have been tested once a year ever since.” A physical gift possessed by Michael could have been the root cause leading to a fatality no one would be ready for.

Genetics weren’t the sole reason behind Phelps’ dominion

Reading about all of Phelps’ advantages, one might think he did not have to do much else to become the best. But they would be wrong. Michael worked hard, day and night, to put these characteristics to good use.

Phelps spent most of his time training in the pool. His training program had him swimming in the pool for nearly 80km every week! In a six-day training week, this equaled over 13km of swimming in 24 hours. When Phelps’ training did not have him in the pool, he would work out in the gym. Phelps would work out for nearly six hours every day. To ensure Phelps did over burn his calories, he was put on a massive 12,000-calorie daily diet. Such was the effort Michael was putting in to prepare for each competition!

WATCH THIS STORY: Swimming GOAT Michael Phelps Dazzled His Fans By Sharing His Stunning Workout On Instagram

The genetics possessed by Michael shall forever remain secondary. The work he put into his training shall remain the primary reason behind his enormous success.