Michael Phelps’ Comeback: One Step Closer To The Olympics?
On Thursday, one of the greatest Olympians in American history, Michael Phelps, got one step closer to a possible return to the Summer Games in 2016.
Phelps participated in his first competitive meet at the Arena Grand Prix in Mesa, Arizona, and finished with the best qualifying time in the 100-meter butterfly.
The 28-year-old led the preliminaries finishing in 52.84 seconds ahead of another Olympian, Ryan Lochte who finished in 52.94 seconds. They face off in the final on Thursday night at the Skyline Aquatic Center.
It was apparent that Phelps was very excited to be racing competitively again, and was the first swimmer to get to the blocks for the 14th and last heat of the fly:
“I felt like a summer league swimmer. I should have my heat and lane written on my hand in case I forget it. I didn’t want to wait any more. I wanted to get up and get this first race done.”
Michael Phelps is the winningest Olympic athlete with 22 medals, and had announced he was retiring from competitive swimming after his last official appearance at the London Summer Olympics on August 4, 2012.
Recently, Phelps decided he would give it a try for his fifth Olympics, calling off his retirement:
“I’m doing this for me. If I don’t become as successful as you think I would or should be, that’s your own opinion. I enjoy being in the pool and sport of swimming and having fun with what I’m doing.”
Phelps is still with his long-time coach Bob Bowman, who says his pupil is a lot happier and enjoying training since November of 2013 even though he has lost a few pounds, going from 225 pounds to 194 pounds, which is close to where he was in London.
The swimmer says he is returning to swimming because he wants to:
“Nobody is forcing me to do this or that. I want to be back in the water. Bob and I can do anything we put our mind to. That’s what we’ve done in the past. I’m looking forward to wherever this road takes me.”
Phelps says that he is the “grandfather of the group” he trains with, and will be turning 31 for the Rio de Janeiro Summer Olympics in 2016, but that is obviously not a deterrent.
Since retiring, Michael has been enjoying life like never before. Being a swimmer at that level requires complete dedication and sacrifice of many of the things the rest of us take for granted.
“I traveled. I played golf. I gained 30 pounds. I had a lot of fun,” Michael Phelps said at a press conference on Wednesday, according to ESPN. Now it’s time to get back to business.
[Image via Mitch Gunn / Shutterstock.com]
