“Took the Wind Out of Me”: Michael Phelps Overcame a Horrifying Collision With Female Swimmer to Win a Race in 2009

In sports, people witness prodigies making a mark in the field during prominent meets. However, some fail to dominate the events on their first meet itself. Michael Phelps is one such prodigious swimmer. Although he made his Olympic debut at just 15, he failed to make a podium finish at the events in the Sydney Olympics.

The closest he came to securing a title at the meet was the 200m fly, where he finished fifth. This event played a significant role in his career at a later stage.

Michael Phelps collides with another swimmer before his event

Phelps started dominating his events from his next Olympic meet in Athens. However, his record-breaking medal haul came at the next meet when he won eight golds, setting a world record. It made him an instant celebrity, but the popularity also made him prone to challenges by opponents.

His most formidable opponent during the 2008-09 season was Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic. Therefore, at the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, Cavic looked forward to defeating the Flying Fish in the 100m fly event. Phelps’ chances of winning the event were looking rather slim.

For one, he suffered a grievous head clash before the event while warming up. During the session, the 28-time Olympic medalist swam right into Australian swimmer Cate Campbell. The impact was substantial enough to snap his goggles in two. Moreover, it left his left shoulder bruised, and the accident also gave him blurry vision.

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Although coach Bob Bowman wanted the swimmer to withdraw from the 100m fly, he wanted to compete. The coach let him participate in the event. And the rest is history. Looking back at the incident following the event, Phelps said, “We were all freaked out a little bit about it . . . it kind of shocked me, took the wind out of me a little bit.”

What was the result of the race?

The rivalry between Phelps and Cavic started the previous year during the Beijing Olympics when the Serbian swimmer lost the 100m fly to the GOAT by one-hundredth of a second. Therefore, Cavic looked forward to a rematch at the Worlds the following year.

And the Serbian swimmer had the lead for most of the event. But despite the injury, the swimmer from Baltimore took the lead in the final 25 meters to come out victorious by 0.13s and bag the gold.

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However, they became the first two swimmers to break the 50-second mark in the sport’s history. Phelps clocked a time of 49.82s while Cavic completed the event in 49.95s.