“I Hated His Vehement Triumphalism”: Michael Phelps’ Had a Bad First Impression on Novelist Who Read His Biography for an Olympian Character Research

Swimming world record holder Michael Phelps is regarded as the greatest Olympian. Unlike any swimmer in history, he overcame obstacles inside and outside the pool. Additionally, the gold medalist has also faced many difficulties due to his success. How he crafted his way to the 28 Olympic medals left people pointing at his ego. In addition, there was a time when a novelist started to dislike Phelps after reading his autobiography for research.

The Olympic gold-winning swimmer wrote and published his biography, Beneath the Surface, in 2004.

A novelist who despises Michael Phelps

At the Olympics, Michael made everyone awestruck with his incredible achievements. Meanwhile, the New York Times revealed that there was a person who started disliking him after reading the triumph of his success. Earlier, Phelps revealed the message he saw regarding the novelist hating him.

The email reads, “If I am honest. I think that I had a dislike for Phelps, initially. I hated his vehement triumphalism, the egoism of his success.” However, with time, the mindset of novelists changed. He added, “They are in a complex and cruel bind. Their training tells them that they have to strive, they have to believe in being the best, in winning, but their talents only have a finite life.”

READ MORE: “Should Be Honestly Ashamed”: Michael Phelps Faced Wrath of Disappointed Fans for His Fake Race Back in 2017

The novelist Tsiolkas concluded, “We turn these young women and men into gods. Their image is on countless products, their stories and their image circulate endlessly on social media, and when they make a mistake, we turn on them cruelly.” The Baltimore Bullet retired in 2016 after winning five gold medals in the Rio Olympics. There is no competition for him due to the respect he has earned during his career. However, from time to time, Phelps has apologized for unknowingly hurting people.

Phelps apologized

Phelps has shown his care about people’s thoughts regarding him. According to the New York Times, Phelps revealed his feelings about hurting people, “A lot in the past I pushed away the people who really loved and cared about me. I know I’ve hurt a lot of people. It’s been terrible.”

After this, in 2017, a shark week on Discovery series made the hype of Michael racing with sharks in the media. However, his fans felt betrayed after seeing the CGI shark swimming beside Phelps. People’s anger was seen on Twitter, as they called him a fake. As a result of this complication, the 28-time Olympic gold medalist apologized to the fans for crushing their expectations.

WATCH THIS STORY: Resurfaced video shows Michael Phelps Race of the century with Ian Thorpe, Pieter Van Den Hoogenband’s at 2004 Athens Olympics