More than six weeks removed from wrapping up his swimming career at the Olympic Games in Rio, Michael Phelps made a stop at the Hazeltine National Golf Course for the Ryder Cup celebrity pro-am.
Phelps was in Minnesota to speak with the U.S. golf team facing off against a group of top European players, but he took some time to discuss swimming as well, having had some time to reflect on what happened in Brazil, where he added six medals to his extensive collection, five of them gold.
The reflection began when Phelps returned to his Phoenix-area home and while sorting through the items in his closet found his goal sheet for 2016. Phelps told the New York Times’ Karen Crouse that of the six events he swam, the only one in which he hit his goal time was his split on the 400 free relay. Phelps swam the second leg in 47.12, and along with Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held and Nathan Adrian helped the U.S. earn an upset gold medal.
Phelps went on to win gold medals in the 200 fly and 200 IM, a silver in the 100 fly and golds in both the 800 free and 400 medley relays. Phelps won the 200 IM by almost two seconds ahead of Japan’s Kosuke Hagino, but his 1:54.66 was two-thirds of a second short of his goal: a world record. (The current mark belongs to Ryan Lochte at 1:54.00.)
Phelps’ 51.14 in the 100 fly was well short of his 2015 best time of 50.45—in comparison, Joseph Schooling’s winning time was 50.39—and he struggled to get to the wall first in the 200 fly, winning by four one-hundredths of a second ahead of Japan’s Masato Sakai, 1:53.36 to 1:53.40.
But on August 9 in that 200 fly final, Phelps did not care about the clock. After coming out on the short end of a tight finish with South Africa’s Chad le Clos at the 2012 Games, it was the gold medal that mattered.
“This was a race I really wanted tonight. I really wanted that one back,” Phelps said that night. “I don’t care about the time. I’m just happy I was able to win.”
Of course, if Bob Bowman—Phelps’ coach for the more than two decades—had his way, Phelps may not have had the opportunity at all. Phelps admitted to Crouse Tuesday that Bowman had suggested he skip the 200 fly to save his energy for the 200 IM and 100 fly (both later in the program) as Phelps was aiming to become the first swimmer to win gold in the same event at four straight Games.
Phelps would have none of it.
“I told Bob when I came back how bad I wanted that 200 fly,” Phelps said after winning the gold medal. “I was on a mission, and that mission was accomplished.”
So even without all of the exact goal times met, Phelps is more than content with his swimming career and showing no indication that he plans a second comeback to the sport.
But he admits in the Times article that he does regret never getting to compete in an Olympics or World Championships on U.S. soil. Phelps did compete in the 2004 Short Course World Championships in Indianapolis, but the last Olympics held in the U.S. were in 1996 (one before Phelps’ debut in 2000), and the U.S. has never hosted the long course edition of FINA’s signature meet.
Phelps had an opportunity to speak to the American golfers this week in Minnesota, and he made sure to emphasize how lucky they were to have such a home-course opportunity and also the value of having a team event in a mostly-individual sport like swimming or golf. He elaborated to the Times.
“I kind of talked about how swimming’s an individual sport, but when we come together as a team, we really do come together as a team like no other country. No matter where we’re from, we’re all together. I think that’s something that’s really cool for me to be a part of.”
Unsurprisingly, Phelps was also asked to speak about Lochte, who was three weeks ago issued a 10-month suspension by USA Swimming for his behavior early in the morning of August 14 in in Rio. Phelps told the Associated Press that he had warned Lochte about getting into trouble before the entire gas station incident happened.
“I did have a talk with him about two days before about not doing anything bad. I told him, ‘Just keep your head on straight. Have fun.'”
Read the full story on Phelps from the New York Times by clicking here.