American swimming legend Michael Phelps has been an idol for millions. Although, this makes us wonder who he himself might’ve idolized growing up. Apparently, the greatest athlete of all time with a gold-laden career in swimming had a few regrets, and this involved his swimming idol.

As per Beneath The Surface, Phelps once was disheartened by the news of his idol and freestyle swimmer, Ian Thorpe’s retirement. He was one of the most significant competitors the Olympian looked up to. Let’s dive into what Phelps had to say about the memory. 

Michael Phelps wished things were different.

In the autobiographical Beneath The Surface, Phelps revealed that he was pretty “disappointed” when he discovered that his favorite athlete, Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe was signing out of his competitive career. However, Thorpe himself wouldn’t have it another way.

Thorpe’s retirement brought feelings of regret for the American champion. He said.“I’ll always regret not having a chance to race him after Athens.” Additionally, he acknowledged the former athlete’s contribution to the field of swimming, and how he was grateful for his existence.

Read More: Despite Suffering a Horrific Injury That Broke His Right Wrist, Michael Phelps Recorded an Impeccable Olympic Feat in 2008: “Wanted to Do Something Nobody Ever Did”

Phelps added, “He was the champ in the 200 free and I owed him a debt of thanks for being so good in that race and pushing me by setting a standard of exceptional freestyle swimming.” Later on, the Olympian aced the same race in Montreal but wasn’t content in his absence. Moreover, he hoped he would someday get to compete with the 5-time gold medalist in his homeland. 

Ian Thorpe doubted Michael Phelps’s prowess.

In yet another Phelps-Thorpe episode, the latter once suspected the American swimmer’s athletic skills prior to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The freestyle swimmer predicted that Phelps won’t be able to achieve his dream of 8 gold medals in a single Olympics Games based on the reasoning of highly capable competitors present. 

He stated, “I don’t think he can do it. I just don’t think he will. Look at the competition.” Moreover, it also meant that Phelps would overpower his record of 9 Olympic medals. When Phelps did push the margins of the game, Thorpe was delighted. He admitted, “Never in my life have I been so happy to have been proved wrong. I enjoyed every moment of it”. 

Michael Phelps did the unimaginable and took home a whooping 23 Olympic gold medals. So to say, he even left behind his idol in terms of competing. A man of wonder, isn’t he? Let us know if you too wanted to witness the legendary duo compete one last time.

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