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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 13: Michael Phelps of the United States thanks the crowd after winning gold in the Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final on Day 8 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on August 13, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 13: Michael Phelps of the United States thanks the crowd after winning gold in the Men’s 4 x 100m Medley Relay Final on Day 8 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on August 13, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
US swimming legend Michael Phelps is one the most accomplished and famous athletes of our time. The legend also holds several records to his name, including the most Olympic gold medals in the tournament’s history.
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The 28-time Olympian medallist retired from swimming in 2016 after he reached exhaustion and needed to spend more time with his family. However, in 2021 the star athlete returned to US swimming Olympic trials. But, an emotional Phelps was there to watch the trials and not participate.
Michael Phelps stood overwhelmed at the 2021 US Olympic Trials
The 2020 Tokyo Olympics [held in 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic] was Phelps’ first Olympic as an audience. Until 2016, Phelps was one of the participants in the US trials, competing for the Olympic spot.
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RIO DE JANERIO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 12: Michael Phelps of the United States celebrates after winning gold medal in the Men’s 200m Individual Medley within the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on August 12, 2016.
(Photo by Salih Zeki Fazlioglu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Hence, in 2021, when the “Flying Fish” returned to the Omaha arena, he was taken back to his Olympics days. “I was walking on the pool deck and I felt chills going up my body,” the swimmer said to Yahoo Sports during an interview.
It was indeed an emotional experience for Phelps, who had been swimming since seven years old. While talking about the first night of the competition, Phelps recalled, “I will say it got a lot of things firing inside me last night.”
Some fans felt Phelps should make a comeback and continue his swimming journey. However, the legend had made it clear that his body was unable to recover compared to before, and it was time for him to call it quits.
Phelps’ Olympic glory and other achievements
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Phelps is one of the most known and decorated athletes in the sporting world. “The Baltimore Bullet” has won most Olympic gold medals [23], Olympic gold medals in individual events [13], and Olympic medals in individual events [16]. Phelps is the only Olympian to achieve all three feats, ever.
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RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 11: Gold medalist Michael Phelps of the United States celebrates on the podium during the medal ceremony for the Men’s 200m Individual Medley Final on Day 6 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on August 11, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Adam Pretty/Getty Images)
Overall, including the Olympics, World Championships, and Pan Pacific, Phelps has 83 medals. Out of these, 63 are gold medals. For his accomplishments, Phelps has received the FINA Swimmer of the year twice and the World Swimmer of the Year Award eight times.
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Watch This Story: Swimming legend Michael Phelps’ top 5 iconic career races
Due to all these brilliant achievements, Phelps is called the GOAT of swimming and the Olympics.
