“Love Jay-Z and 50 Cent”: 23X Olympic Gold Medalist Michael Phelps Once Revealed How Music Influenced Him While Swimming

With 23 Olympic golds to his name, Michael Phelps, AKA The “Baltimore Bullet” is an Olympic legend. No doubt about that. However, he also had three silver medals and two bronze medals. While it’s unlikely for athletes to hold on to their form as they age, Michael won five gold medals in the 2016 Rio Olympics after turning 30.

The secret to Michale’s success was consistent practice. The Olympic legend swam for hours inside the pool, perfecting his skills. During a 2004 interview, Michael revealed what fueled his grueling training sessions.

Michael Phelps and rap music

In 2004, Phelps sat down for an interview with the Guardian. During the interview, the Flying Fish discussed his life inside and outside the pool. Phelps also talked about how music influenced him while swimming. “I just like the sound of hip hop,” Michael said. “I love Jay-Z and 50 Cent and I’m a huge Biggie (Smalls) fan.”, added the olympian.

The swimming prodigy told the interviewer, “I listen to rap on the way to practice and whatever I’ve been playing just loops through my head as I swim.” The interviewer revealed that during practice, Michael used to swim for nearly 10 miles daily.

Michael also revealed his go-to song at the time had been “Overnight Celebrity” by Twista. It’s appropriate that the first man who held the Guinness World Record for the fastest rapper influenced one of the fastest swimmers in history.

READ MORE: Breaking Mark Spitz’s Incredible Record at Beijing Olympics Paved the Way for Michael Phelps to Start His Foundation in 2008: “My Whole Thing Started From One Dream”

During the same interview, Michael also expressed his wish to set a new world record. Phelps explained he saw the then-upcoming 2004 Athens Olympics as an opportunity to swim the fastest 200m freestyle in history. Notably, during the first half of the 2000s, Australia’s Ian Thorpe had dominated the 200m freestyle in most events.

The “Baltimore Bullet” at the 2004 Athens Olympics

Michael’s dream to swim the fastest 200m freestyle didn’t pan out, as he finished third place. However, the “Baltimore Bullet” established himself as an Olympic legend in Athens. Phelps won his first Olympic gold in his event, the 400m individual medley. Phelps also set a new world record.

In Athens, the American swimmer won three more golds in three other events in the 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, and 200m medley. Besides winning four individual golds, Michael also won golds in two team events, the 4x200m freestyle and 4x100m medley. In his first Olympic games, Michael Phelps won six golds.

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Nearly everyone is influenced by music to some degree. For the Olympic legend, rap music and swimming practice were intertwined.