Phelps Reaffirms Rio Will Be His Last Olympics

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Michael Phelps once again reaffirmed that Rio will be his last Olympics, talking to NBC sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya.

“No, this is it,” he responded when asked if future Olympic appearances were still a possibility. Phelps says despite his great success so far in Rio (an individual gold and two relay titles with his two best races still to come), he’s still sure he will retire from Olympic swimming when the meet ends.

Phelps has made it clear since last year that he intends Rio to be his final Olympic push, and hasn’t wavered on that statement. One quote from a pre-Olympic press conference threw fans and media outlets into a tizzy about a potential 2020 appearance – Phelps merely called Rio “potentially” his last Olympics – but outside of that one word, Phelps has given no indication he plans to swim past Rio.

Of course, after promising retirement in 2012 only to come back two years later, Phelps is still being met with some level of skepticism. After Phelps confirmed his coming retirement to Tafoya this morning, NBC commentator Dan Hicks said “I don’t believe a word of it,” and longtime rival Ryan Lochte has also suggested these won’t be Phelps’ last Games.

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Danson
7 years ago

That’s what he said after London. But his love of water didn’t seem to fade then, and hopefully it won’t this time round, though now he has a family so his priorities might change and he might prefer to spend time with his baby. Will be epic to see him compete in Tokyo 2020 though.

Dawgpaddle
Reply to  Danson
7 years ago

Phelps is retiring from swimming. He has not ruled out the possibility of competing on the 2020 TEAM in Tokyo as a Goalie on our soccer team. I also understand he may make a run at the Triple Jump. My money is on him if he decides to go either or both routes!

Beststroke69
7 years ago

He will retire for a couple years and come back, at 35 years old he will still have a shot at making the team and even medaling in Tokyo. I can almost bet he will be back to continue his fairytale career. Plus, since he seems happier and more focused than ever before, I think he will continue to train in retirement just to stay close.

FluidG
7 years ago

He will take a break…then do it all again, only better. (By 2020 he will know how to rest.)

MP LOVES swimming….the process, the lifestyle, the journey, and reaching goals. We don’t walk away from the things that give us the most pleasure, satisfaction, rewards, and emotional connection. Swimming, it’s what he does and the world loves watching him do it.

WEUer
7 years ago

Wouldn’t be shocked to see him come out of retirement in 2018 or 2019 just to swim the 100 fly in 2020.

swimdoc
7 years ago

Now that he’s a cupping addict, I think he’ll stick around, just for that.

SwimmerFoxJet
7 years ago

Forget Phelps, what’s more ridiculous is Dirado.

DLswim
Reply to  SwimmerFoxJet
7 years ago

No it is not. Maybe she doesn’t want to be a professional swimmer because she doesn’t like the lifestyle and the pressure. Maybe she wants to do something else. Not everything is about money, and in any case, it’s not clear to me that she would make millions like, e.g., Phelps.

SwimmerFoxJet
Reply to  DLswim
7 years ago

Phelps swims for a good time. Not for money.

SwimmerFoxJet
Reply to  SwimmerFoxJet
7 years ago

Scratch that, nowadays Phelps swims to win and get a good time.

Swimsweep
Reply to  SwimmerFoxJet
7 years ago

That’s laughable

PACSWIMRIC
7 years ago

retire to do what? its a career! And your really good at it, still. why not just cut the program in 1/2, say 100 fly and/or 200im. He’ll get paid millions in endorsements to work out everyday and go for his 6th Olympics. What a life!

SwimGeek
Reply to  PACSWIMRIC
7 years ago

Exactly! It’s not like he needs to train 6 hours a day. He can spend plenty of time with Nicole and Boomer and still do some swimming. Off topic and very difference circumstance, but I would say the same to Maya DiRado. She’s now one of the very best overall swimmers in the world. She’s 23. She can make a healthy living swimming. Billing hours for McKinsey will there later — you have the rest of your life to be a desk jockey.

Swim pop
Reply to  SwimGeek
7 years ago

^^^^ This about Maya, I can’t imagine how anyone would choose that McKinsey life over making 10X that continuing her swimming career?? She could get that same job, or just about any other 4 years down the road. Though she would likely be spending more of her time four years from now just managing her millions instead creating spreadsheets for the sake of spreadsheets.

Mardo4
Reply to  Jared Anderson
7 years ago

My guess is it is a transitional plan… Go out on top, buy house, McKinsey for a couple years, start family and work part time. Transitioning into a more family balance life. Training at Olympic levels IS a grind with strange hours and being tied to a pool. She worked hard at Stanford, I don’t blame her for wanting to use it.

Joel Lin
Reply to  Swim pop
7 years ago

Mixed feelings there. McKinsey for most people is code for pre-“the thing I really want to do”. 80%+ of those who join leave to go to business school or onto another job. Maya was a tremendous student at Stanford. I don’t mean this as a slight to other swimmers, but she is one who’d be leaving a lot of career upside on the table to keep swimming even if she has success as a professional swimmer.

Anyways, whatever money rush she gets out of the Olympics would likely dry up in less than 6 months. She can still participate in some of it. That’s just the way it works.

JudgeNot
Reply to  Swim pop
7 years ago

Uh, maybe because she has a fantastic brain that she’d like to set towards new challenges? McKinsey is a springboard, not her destination. Maybe, just maybe, she wants to be challenged, build a career (not “have a job”), and make a difference in the world? Those truly are more important than money. And to be honest, she’s also never going to hurt for money. Good for her.

Royale
Reply to  JudgeNot
7 years ago

My feeling is we will see Maya DiRado in the pool again. Hate to say it, but real world jobs aren’t a lot of fun compared to what she is doing right now. They might sound exciting for a while, but traveling around the world being in the best physical condition of your life being on TV winning Olympic medals is AMAZING!

Phelps will be back in 2020. He will retire for 2 years again but then the juices will start flowing again in 2018. Making a 6th Olympic team and winning a Gold in 5 Olympics is going to be too much to pass up. His legacy continues on and there is no reason he can’t do it at… Read more »

Phelps swims 200 breast rio
7 years ago

I don’t believe this for a second. $$,$$$,$$$

About Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson

Jared Anderson swam for nearly twenty years. Then, Jared Anderson stopped swimming and started writing about swimming. He's not sick of swimming yet. Swimming might be sick of him, though. Jared was a YMCA and high school swimmer in northern Minnesota, and spent his college years swimming breaststroke and occasionally pretending …

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