“Wins for the Day”: Michael Phelps’ Post Retirement Competitor Is the Most Adorable Rivalry Ever

Michael Phelps, who retired in 2016, is known to be an incredibly competitive man. Such a quality certainly helped him become the most decorated Olympian ever, winning him 28 medals, 23 of them gold. 

The proof of his overwhelming drive to win becomes clear in how he wouldn’t even let his grandmother win in a game of cards. Theis same drive gave him the undisputed title of GOAT. But now that he’s hung up his cap and goggles, how does he channel that competitive spirit? 

Michael Phelps has established a long-going ritual with his wife

The greatest swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps, and his wife, Nicole Johnson Phelps, had a destination wedding in October 2016 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. The celebration came at the heels of Phelps’ last run in the Olympic pool. About half a year after the birth of their first son, Boomer.

But months before, in June, they had already wedded as husband and wife in an intimate five-person ceremony in their backyard in Tempe, Arizona. The couple has supported one another through the highs and lows of their lives. Even if they split apart many times in the eight years they dated, they always found their way back to each other. 

“There’s nobody else that gets me the way that Michael does,” Nicole told BRIDES. And with that understanding comes a loving competition that will make your teeth rot. “We live a healthy, competitive life daily. Every morning when we wake up, whoever says ‘I love you more’ first wins for the day — and we’ve been doing this for a couple of years now,” she continued. 

Phelps knows they have their differences sometimes, but he believes they belong together. “I think we’re both pretty stubborn people at times, [but] we work really well together. We’re joking around constantly. We’ve always seen it as ‘If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.’ And I guess it’s meant to be,” he chipped in.

READ MORE: Michael Phelps Faced a Hilarious Moment of Cold Feet Before Nicole Johnson Walked Down the Aisle: “You’re Stuck Bro”

How their relationship developed over time

The swimming sensation Michael Phelps first met Nicole Johnson in 2007 at the ESPY Awards. Nicole, working with ESPN, got assigned as his escort for the show. However, she had initially wanted to be an F1 racing correspondent and escort Travis Pastrana.

The former Miss California dated the swimmer for eight years, though they had more of an on-again-off-again relationship. But despite their ever-changing status, Phelps had confessed to his friends that Nicole was the one for him.

“I said to a couple of my friends, ‘If I ever had the chance to get her back, that would be it,’” Phelps revealed. “She was the one I loved the most.” They got back together for good in 2014, and Phelps proposed a year later.

Now, they have three sons, Boomer, Maverick, and Beckett. The happy family has been enjoying Phelps’ clear post-retirement schedule to the fullest.

WATCH THIS STORY: Inside Swimming Legend Michael Phelps and Nicole Johnson’s Secret Marriage