In his final race before retirement, the most decorated Olympian in history led the U.S. to victory in the 400-meter medley relay at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio.
Phelps finished a career that spanned five Olympics with 28 medals, 23 of them gold. No other athlete in any sport has more than nine gold medals. Even Michael Phelps couldn’t imagine an ending this good.
Speaking after that final success, an emotional Phelps said: “It’s tough to put into words right now, but, I finished my career how I wanted to. Through the ups and downs of my career, I’ve still been able to do everything that I’ve ever wanted to accomplish. I’ve been able to do things that no-one else has ever been able to do.”
I have a special affection for Michael Phelps. It’s not just that he is a great athlete with an incredible passion for what he does and a prime example of the Power of an Unbreakable Spirit but, he is my nephew Jeff Gross’ best friend. They know each other from Ann Arbor, MI and were roommates in Baltimore, MD. Jeff is an internationally known professional poker player and another example of passion and success in his profession.
Jeff twittered: So, how do we think our flag bearer did in his 5th and final Olympics? Jeff is on the right in this picture.
The Road to Rio was not easy at all
What fascinates me is the other side of Michael Phelp’s journey from 2012 to the 2016 Rio Olympics…Depression, Rehab and becoming a father. Michael Phelps has battled depression, a suspended jail sentence and drinking issues. His road to the 2016 Rio Olympics was not easy at all.
“He had no idea what to do with the rest of his life. It made me feel terrible. I remember one day I said: ‘Michael, you have all the money that anybody your age could ever want or need; you have a profound influence in the world; you have free time — and you’re the most miserable person I know. What’s up with that?”
The New York Times revealed that these strong words were spoken into the face of Michael Phelps by his long-time coach and second father Bob Bowman towards the end of 2014, a year that shaped the course of his life and shook him completely due to incidents he is never likely to forget.
Phelps and his coach Bob Bowman, who has been with him since he was 11
We are so immersed in the ‘action’ aspect of things that we lose track of what athletes have actually suffered or sacrificed to realize their dreams. While we might have seen the perfect side of Michael Phelps every four years since 2004, the swimmer has battled imperfections, demons, sadness, depression and a mental death to get there.
Phelps, who had previously announced that he would not be swimming anymore after London, chose to come back from retirement in 2014. But it did not begin well, as he failed to win any of the finals at the 2014 US Summer Championships. However, this was not the low that hit him the worst. In September 2014, history repeated itself as Phelps was arrested for DUI (Driving Under Influence), as a result of which he was suspended from US Swimming for half a year. The alcohol, reckless company and cluelessness had sent Phelps into an oblivion from which he did not want to return.
A startling admission to Today saw the swimmer actually describe the kind of mental space he was in at the time of his arrest. “I was at the lowest place I’ve ever been. Honestly, I sort of at one point, felt like I didn’t want to see another day, I felt like it should be over,” he said.
Quite a startling and shocking admission by a man who, as compared to the regular Joe, has everything there can be had by a human being on earth. However, sometimes it is not about what you have but about how you feel, and Phelps realized that he had become a robot who had grown out of love.
All those weekends and holidays he had missed as a teenager to become the greatest Olympic swimmer of all time, the toll of his parents’ divorce, the lack of any sort of friends and his achievements becoming a burden, converged into one big mess in his brain.
Going to rehab and finding himself
The DUI incident propelled Phelps to check into a rehab in Arizona called the Meadows. Little did Phelps know that the six weeks he was going to spend there would alter the course of his life forever. The three fortnights at the rehab, according to him, were in hindsight the part of a journey of self-discovery.
Phelps found his real self and in the process, got back the indispensable parts of life he had chucked out. He got back in touch with his father, whom he had not spoken to since 2004, and that, literally, stopped his nightmares and brought him peaceful sleep.
Along with getting back his family, Phelps also decided to commit to his girlfriend Nicole Johnson, who became his fiancée in early 2015. With his personal life settled, Phelps decided to return to the love he had fallen out with – swimming.
Training hard like he had done when he was a teenager, Phelps got his mojo back and won big at the 2015 Winter National Championships. He celebrated those wins in a manner that reflected redemption was on its way.
Things kept getting better for Phelps from thereon as he welcomed his first baby, Boomer, in May 2016. He celebrated that in style – by qualifying for the Olympics – and became the first athlete to represent the US Swimming Team in five editions. Speaking to Sports Illustrated in late 2015, Phelps had said, “The performances were there because I worked, recovered, slept and took care of myself more than I ever had. I’m back to being the little kid who once said anything is possible. You’re going to see a different me than you saw in any of the other Olympics.”
Success, happiness and the drive to keep going
Phelps is a much happier man now
Not only is he a different man at the 2016 Rio Olympics, but Phelps looks much happier than in 2012. He seems content and in the zone, which we saw in 2004 and 2008.
It is quite incredible the amount of intensity, work, preparation and determination that need to be put in by a man like Michael Phelps, even after winning 18 Olympic gold medals. You sometimes shudder to think, why does he need to do that? Can’t he enjoy his life like regular famous people, by appearing on magazine covers, partying and being loved by fans?
The answer is the exact reason why he is Michael Phelps and has won more medals than many nations have combined to win in their Olympic history. He exists at a level where the ordinary person cannot even reach in his/her imagination. The immediate irony, despite his exceptional existence, is that his problems are like those of regular people and involve drinking-driving, break-ups and separation from parents. Phelps, like all of us, has felt mechanical at some point in his life – the only difference being that his boredom came after winning 18 Olympic gold medals.
Everyone has a story…even Michael Phelps…it’s not what happens, it’s what we do about it that shapes our destiny. Bravo Michael for being such an inspiration and a shining example of the Power of an Unbreakable Spirit. We are proud of you!
(excerpt by Vikram Mahendra’s article in Sportkeeda…Depression, rehab and becoming a father: The other side of Michael Phelps’ journey from 2012 to 2016 Rio Olympics)
Life Changing Moments...winning from within 