Before the USA team could move on to its encouraging future, it said goodbye – if tentatively, given numerous younger swimmers’ hopes that Phelps will unretire again – to its greatest star.
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But the athletes saw something that the results didn’t show. Instead, he would take a break from the sport after his fourth Olympics, figure out the best place to train – and come back. “One year from now [at Rio], no one will be talking about what happened here….”
Phelps also has remarkable medal-winning efficiency. Phelps would routinely put on weight after performing in the Olympics, but he says he wants to avoid that in retirement. “It was just awesome to watch that”. “I look forward to going back, I look forward to seeing some Ravens game, some Orioles games, (and) going to get some crabs”. The relay?’ And I was like, ‘Mom, we’re done.
Simone Manuel became the first African-American to win gold. “He’s still young. I think he will be back for Rio”. This is an impressive feat, considering the old record had been standing for over 2,000 years. Every single American swimmer advanced out of the preliminary heats at these Games, according to NBC. I promised her I was going to get a medal so I wasn’t going to let her down.
The United States won 33 overall medals, 23 more than second-place Australia, and 16 gold medals, 13 more than any other country.
Australia claimed bronze, but the memory of sharing the pool with Phelps in his final race could last longer than the glow of their relay gongs.
Friends, fellow swimmers, and longtime coach Bob Bowman indicate that the swimming phenom has undergone a transformation that has enabled him to be much more of a team leader.
Phelps has other plans for his future.
Most of the US swim team was in the stands to watch Phelps’ finale, including the biggest female star of the games, Katie Ledecky, decked out in a matching United States of America white jacket and cap. His relationship with his own father is troubled. And that has been largely on display in Rio, apart from the scowl that went viral, and a moment of rather unsportsmanlike bravado after beating nemesis Chad Le Clos from South Africa. “That’s the difference. Because I knew this was the last time”. That changed at the rehab center, he said, where he was surrounded by people who respected him as a person rather than a medalist.
“In my opinion, and if I have to die before (then) – I’ll go down swinging to see this sport where I want it to be. It was a new experience for me”. Phelps said his new family is what he’s all about. “And outside of the pool, having someone who has overcome so much internally, externally, and shared that with everyone and just shown people what an inspiration he is”.
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Blume won in 24.07 with Manuel adding silver to her surprise 100m gold with a time of 24.09 and Aliaksandra Herasimenia of Belarus, the London runner-up previously banned for doping, taking bronze. It’s also about how they support each other in tough workouts or after races – from the intuitive teammates who know who needs a hug and who needs space, to the effervescent ones that pump everyone up. He was just sitting there looking at me, smiling the whole time. “It’s it. We’re finished.’ I’m happy with my career”. “And I can’t say that about London … this was the way I wanted to hang up my suit four years ago”.
