“Faster Than..My Body Could Handle”: Michael Phelps Opened Up on Struggles With His Rare Body in His Biography

Legendary swimmer Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympic athlete in the history of the games. With 28 medals under his belt, none of his contemporaries could match his greatness. Phelps always mentioned the importance of sacrifice to do something which has never been done before.

Phelps achieved the status of a legend after being in the sport for over a decade and by competing in the five Olympics. However, his journey toward greatness was not so easy. He had to overcome many adversities that stopped him from achieving his goal.

Michael Phelps opens up on his struggles

Probably every athlete has had an experience with injuries in some way or another. Michael overcame several injuries that came his way, but this did not stop him from achieving success. Michael believes it is the healing process and the mindset that an athlete develops during an injury that helps in further challenges in their career. Moreover, he shared a lot of such instances from his life in this book ‘ Beneath The Surface.’

Before the Olympic trials, due to Michael’s growth spurts, there was a protruding bone whenever he took a stroke.” The bone grew faster than the rest of my body could handle, and when I moved my shoulders around, both of them popped out toward the back side”, he wrote, opening up on the struggles with his rare body. After multiple visits to the physiotherapist, he could get himself ready for the Olympic trials.

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Michael shared another incident when he received an invitation to Colorado for an orientation camp. He was just 14 back then. During the camp and had to give a dope test. Soon after, he felt his heart racing. Phelps informed his coach, who suggested going to a doctor. Since he had long hands and feet, he had early symptoms of ‘Marfan Syndrome. Marfan Syndrome is a disease that affects connective tissues and can be fatal if there is leakage to the vessels that lead to the heart. But the report came negative for the same.

Michael and Coach Bob

Phelps, in his book ‘ Beneath The Surface’ explained the influence that coach Bob Bowman had on his life. He trained under Bowman from the age of 11 at The North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Phelps credits Coach Bowman for his discipline and consistency. Moreover, coach Bowman made him a fierce competitor at a very young age.

Coach Bowman made Michael compete with swimmers who were more experienced than him. He believed what Michael needed to get better was stiff competition regularly. These methods made Phelps qualify for the Olympics at the age of 15. He was among the youngest athletes at the Sydney Olympics. Bob Bowman helped Phelps develop his drive for success, which is very important for an athlete.

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After retiring from the sport in 2016, Michael Phelps spends most of his time with his family and is often seen playing golf.