Legendary Swimmer Michael Phelps Revealed the Inspiration Behind His Hilarious Meme That Broke the Internet in 2016: “His Optimism Is in His Name”

Legendary swimmer Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time. He has the highest number of Olympic medals. Phelps has won 28 medals in his 16-year-long Olympic career. Moreover, Phelps debuted at the Olympics in 2000 and retired after the 2016 Olympics. He has created several records and broken many of them. In 2008, he created a record of winning eight gold medals in one Olympic.

Phelps has lived several crucial moments in his life. Several important races were a part of them. Whenever you are at the starting line, you need a go-to song or something which gives you the positivity and strength that is required. Similarly, Phelps shared an incident where his starting line schedule became an internet meme in 2016.

Michael Phelps explained the 2016 meme

Michael Phelps competed in 2016 as his last Olympic outing. However, Phelps previously declared his retirement after 2012, but he changed his mind and decided to compete in Rio as well. The U-turn turned out to be fruitful, as he clinched six medals in 2016, which included five gold and a silver. However, during the Rio Olympics, the cameras captured an expression on his face that made him an instant meme sensation.

After some time, Phelps explained the reason behind that face. Phelps said, “There’s no rapper today more inspiring than Future. His optimism is in his name. Remember in Rio when I made that face that was all over the internet? I was in my zone with Future’s ‘Stick Talk.'”

READ MORE- “This Bubbling Anger”: Despite Winning 23 Olympic Golds, Michael Phelps ‘Felt Absolutely Worthless’ in 2020

Future is an American rapper, singer, and songwriter who has some very inspiring raps that fill you with the charge you need before a competition. Phelps was doing exactly the same. He was listening to his ‘Stick Talk’ and conserving his energy to release into the race. And at that time, one of the most sensational memes of 2016 took birth.

The unstoppable force of Phelps

Michael Phelps was unstoppable. Especially in the 2008 Olympics, no one could come closer to what he was doing at that time. He prepared with all the time he had between the 2004 Olympics and the 2008 Olympics. Phelps once revealed he used to just eat, swim, sleep and repeat. It was his whole world for those years. And the hard work reflected in the eight gold medals he won in 2008.

He even ate the diet of a bodybuilder. Phelps ate a 10k-calorie diet/per day to meet his calorie goals. The 23 gold, three silver, and two bronze medals. This is the legacy that Phelps left behind for future swimmers to chase. Moreover, after retiring, now he is building a safe mental passage for the swimmers by trying to solve the communication gap between the counselor and the players.

Watch this story: Paige Spiranac Hailed Olympic Legend Michael Phelps for His Courageous Act in 2018

Future helped the meme community get one of the most precious pictures to work on. On the other hand, he also helped Michael Phelps several times with his powerful writing and singing to get that positive energy to go and conquer the medals. Do you have any special song or any other medium by which you get your positive energy? Do share with us in the comments.