“She Thought, It Will Make Me Faster”: Michael Phelps’ Sister’s Misconception About Health Led Her to Miss the Opportunity to Be an Olympian

Veteran Olympic swimmer, Michael Phelps, comes from a family of athletes. Michael Phelps’ passage to the pool was shown by his siblings. Phelps’ two sisters Whitney Phelps and Hilary Phelps were both athletic themselves. Whitney has won quite a few races and was best known for her technique in the Women’s 200m Butterfly.

In the words of Michael, Whitney failed to make the Olympics cut due to a poor mistake she did with food. In his book, Phelps discussed his sister’s struggle with food. And, also pointed out how she thought eating would somehow intervene in her journey to being the best swimmer. And, then things spiraled out of control.

Michael Phelps recounts Whitney’s food struggle days

The Phelps siblings were buddies in the pool and would often train together. Years later when Phelps was penning his autobiography, he opened up about her dedication to the sport. Adding, how that led to the eventual problem, he reminisced, “Whitney was doing training sets that I never had to do.”

Michael recounted that she just wanted to be the best. But this led to her obsession with eating less. He further added that although her habit of skipping meals started slow, it later aggravated.  In Phelps’ words, it began by skipping snacks and desserts but soon went to her shaving off food portions.

Going into Whitney’s thought process, Michael deduced that “she figured…if I’m skinny and small, she thought, it will make me faster.” But, her thoughts backfired.

READ MORE: Michael Phelps’ Insane 10,000 Calorie Diet That Fueled Him to Secure 23 Olympic Gold Medals Revealed- Here’s Everything You Need to Know

She would simply deny having any struggles with food. Even things got to a point where one of the officials of Pan Pacific meet brought up the issue with their mother. But, Michael was too young back then and had no idea what she was going through.

The Olympic history of eating disorders

Phelps himself was once infamous for having a mammoth meal plan of 10,000 calories. According to one statistic, around 21% of Olympic athletes have come clean about having struggles with eating issues.

But, only a fraction of that percentile has ever come clean about having struggles or seeking treatments. Athletes often struggle with parameters like stress and aesthetics with trying to keep optimum performances. And that often is not a good place to be.

WATCH THIS STORY: How Legendary Michael Phelps’ Biological Advantage Nearly Put His Life In Danger

Michael Phelps has also struggled with mental health issues like ADHD, depression, and anxiety. But, as of now, the Phelps family is doing pretty well for themselves. Michael is retired and Whitney runs her own entertainment company. And, for once, everything is at peace.