Michael Phelps‘ long-standing rivalry with the Aussies dates back over a decade, featuring epic showdowns with the likes of Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband. Now, with Team USA forming at the 2024 Olympic Trials, the competitive flames have been fanned once again. The latest spark? Four-time Olympic gold medalist Cate Campbell’s cheeky comments at the USA at the 2023 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka. When Australia snagged more gold medals than the USA, Campbell threw shade, “Such, such sore losers,” and revealed enjoying the lack of the Star-Spangled Banner and “USA! USA!” chants.

When Michael Phelps saw Campbell’s comments in an NBC Olympics & Paralympics interview amid the ongoing 2024 US Olympic Swim trials, he couldn’t hide his reaction. “Somebody said that to me, I would lose it. I would literally make them eat every word they just said about me,” Phelps declared. Her words have even stirred something in him, making him consider a comeback just to prove his point.

With the Paris Olympics on the horizon, Michael Phelps is set to make a return—not as a swimmer, but as part of NBC’s broadcast team. He got a taste of this new role when he joined Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines in the booth at the US Olympic Swimming Trials. Despite his excitement for this new chapter, the competitive fire still burns brightly.

During the live coverage of the swim trials at Lucas Oil Stadium, Dan Hicks talked about Australia’s strong team, especially the women. Michael Phelps acknowledged their dominance but couldn’t hide his own competitive urge. “Watching the trials here, we’re ready. And I’m excited to see Paris,” Phelps said with a playful smile. “I mean I watched that video (Cate Campbell’s) again today. I want to get back in this pool and start going right now. It fires me up,” he shared. This takes us back to a nostalgic moment in Phelps’ journey when he asserted his dominance over the Australians on their home turf.

How Michael Phelps conquered Aussie waters, proving his dominance on their home soil

Back in early 2007, the World Championships landed in Australia, stirring up a big debate: was Phelps now the top dog in swimming, surpassing the legendary Ian Thorpe? While the rest of the world was leaning towards Phelps, Aussies held onto Thorpe as their swimming hero. Thorpe’s victories, especially that epic 200-meter freestyle race at the Athens Olympics, cemented his status. But when Phelps hit Melbourne for the championships, it was a game-changer. He dominated, bagging seven golds and smashing five world records in just one week. The highlight? The 200-meter freestyle race.

Michael Phelps raced against Pieter van den Hoogenband, the Olympic champion. Phelps took an early lead and maintained a blistering pace throughout the race, steadily pulling away from his rival in the final lap. He finished with a time of 1:43.86, breaking Ian Thorpe’s world record by 0.20 seconds and leaving van den Hoogenband behind with a time of 1:45.12.

That race alone settled any lingering debate about who ruled the pool. And with more world records in other events like the medleys and butterfly, Phelps showed he wasn’t just a one-race wonder. Today, if Michael Phelps were to make a comeback, he would face stiff competition from swimmers like Lukas Maertens, Drew Kibler, Caeleb Dressel, Kai Taylor, and more. Do you think he could still emerge on top against the Aussies today? Share your thoughts in the comments!