Michael Phelps bids farewell
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E-mail Xinhua, August 5, 2012
The first Olympic medal came on a humid August night beneath the Athenian stars eight years ago, and the 22th - the last one for Michael Phelps - arrived tonight beneath the curved roof of London Aquatics Center.
![The men's 4x100m medley relay on Saturday evening is the last event concluding the eight-day swimming competitions at London Games, also Phelps' swansong. [sina.com.cn]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20120805/0014222d9850118850971e.jpg "The men's 4x100m medley relay on Saturday evening is the last event concluding the eight-day swimming competitions at London Games, also Phelps' swansong. [sina.com.cn]") |
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The men's 4x100m medley relay on Saturday evening is the last event concluding the eight-day swimming competitions at London Games, also Phelps' swansong. [sina.com.cn] |
Phelps, the most prolific medalist the Olympics have ever witnessed, put the finishing touches on his glittering Olympic career in a team relay at London Olympics on Saturday.
The 27-year-old says goodbye to Olympics, to competitors and fans, and to his career which has seen him mature from a restless kid who found an outlet for his energy in the water to a cross-over star with all the trappings of modern celebrity.
The men's 4x100m medley relay on Saturday evening is the last event concluding the eight-day swimming competitions at London Games, also Phelps' swansong.
To the loudest roars of the week, he took team U.S. from second place back to the first in his butterfly leg, after a slow lead-off from his teammate in the backstroke leg.
When Phelps saw compatriot Nathan Adrian powering home first to make the team gold, he raised his fist, spreading his long arms and letting out an extended bellow.
His mother and sister, cheering for him on the tribune, shed tears. Bob Bowman, who has coached Phelps since he was 11, gave him a long and big hug.
"I love you. We did it," Bob said.
"Yes, we did," Phelps replied.
Four gold medals and two silvers from his seven events in London have already made him biggest winner in pool, as well as the greatest Olympian ever with a record of 22 Olympic medals including 18 golds.
It is a day for Phelps, indeed.
The Baltimore Bullet was rewarded a special statuette from FINA - "The greatest Olympian of all time'.
"I had a great end to a great run. Time to say goodbye," said Phelps.
"I'm leaving at a good time. The sport is going to be fun to watch. I'm excited to see it from the outside more than anything and see what these guys continue to do to change the sport," he added.
Eight years ago in Athens, the opening night in the open-air pool had seen Phelps lay down a monumental marker - a first Olympic gold collected in world record time.
Eight years on, he has broken 36 world records and 16 Olympic records, and owns 26 world titles to add to his Olympic honors.
As the top draw in London, Phelps' London tour is a mixture of doubts, confuse, relief and sentiments.
"Horrible" was how Phelps described his first swim in London as he only survived a slight 0.07 second edge over the ninth fastest in the 400m individual medley heats to scrap into the final.
The defending champion faded over on the last lap in the final to finish an embarrassing fourth place as compatriot Ryan Lochte surged to gold. Then doubts had accompanied him over the Atlantic bubbled to the surface of the Aquatics Center.
The horros of Phelps' first event were followed by his explosive leg in the 4x200m freestyle relay and a surprising overturn by South Africa's Chad le Clos on the final stroke in his signature 200m butterfly.
After wasting the chances, he staged two emphatic victories in 200m individual medley and 100m butterfly, making himself the first male swimmer to win the same event in three straight Olympics.
The 200m individual medley triumph, the first individual gold for Phelps in London, came six days after the start of the games, which was described by himself as a "relief".
"It was hard and special. I fell short in the first couple of events, so to be able to do something no man has done before is so cool," said Phelps, referring to his three-peat.
The next day, he staged a devastating burst after a slow start in his favored 100m butterfly, flew over startled rivals and never looked back to seal the gold.
Definitely, gold medals make up most of Phelps' diet.
With an arm span exceeding his height and an ideal build for the "dolphin kick" - short legs and a long torso, Phelps is a human designed for water.
In 2001, Phelps became history's youngest world record holder in the 200m butterfly at the age of 15.
After his ultimate Beijing peak when he reached eight gold medals to surpass the record seven achieved by Mark Spitz, he took time off and showed little interest in resuming the grind.
He was also fired a three-month suspension from USA Swimming when he was photographed inhaling from a pipe used for smoking marijuana.
During his time away, Phelps packed on nearly seven kilograms and contemplated retirement. But after time to reflect, he came back and targeted more glory at the 2012 London Olympics.
To some extent, the ups and downs of the past few years have removed the pressure for perfection and given Phelps time to look back at the entire arc of his Olympic career.
"When it is all over, it hits me emotionally," said Phelps, tears in his eyes.
"It has been a long career," he said. "It's time to hang up my suit."
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