“Way Harder Than Swimming”: Olympic Legend Michael Phelps Opens Up on His Recent Golf Tournament Experience

It’s difficult to comprehend when Michael Phelps finds something difficult. The 28 Olympic medals holder is comfortably the best swimmer the world has ever seen, and arguably the greatest Olympic athlete as well.

But even Phelps can’t do it all. During a recent round of golf, Phelps talked about the differences between the two sports and how much more difficult it was for him to manage on the green grass rather than in the water.

Michael Phelps talks about how he calmed himself

During the WM Phoenix Open, because of a partnership with Whoop, they tested the heart rate of Phelps during the competition. He focused on his breathing while his heart rate stayed in the range of 130-150. While arriving to take the shot, his heart rate was at 115. But, you could see it going up to around 151 while taking the shot. Hence, he spoke about the difference between trying to make a putt and swimming inside the pool.

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“For me, in the swimming pool, the water is the same temperature, the same depth, the line lane is the same width apart, the blocks the same height, everything is exactly the same. And so for me, I’m almost on autopilot at that moment. This is way harder than swimming in front of millions of people. I took a couple of deep breaths coming in here,” said Phelps.

He talked about how getting into the water, with your head inside, is completely different when you perform in front of a jam-packed audience as compared to a golf course. You just can’t hear anything. Even a great athlete like Phelps is only a human, just like anyone of us!

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