Michael Phelps has always been considered as one of the most decorated and celebrates athlete in the history of American sports and the Olympic Games. The all-time favorite swimmer entered the Rio Olympics with nineteen gold medals and later it seemed like his winning spree has not ended yet.
Previously Phelps had announced that the London Olympics would be his last formal sporting event and that he would be retiring after that. He looked a little relieved to have left his dedication behind and called the day after his last event as the "first day of his new life," according to New Yorker.
However, the swimmer decided to recall his decision for retirement and participate in Rio Olympics 2016 to continue his medal-winning spree. Since then, a lot of theories have come up suggested why and how Phelps recalled his decision, the soul searching he had to go through, things about rehab and his transformation into a subtle human.
People are now surprised to actually experience his transformation - he seems a little less competitive than before, more joyful and at peace with himself and his career. In fact, the results have been even better than ever before with one silver and four gold medals.
Phelps has comfortably won the two-hundred-meter butterfly, the game that he had previously lost to Chad Le Clos during the London Olympics. After that nothing could stop him from winning the two-hundred-meter individual medley.
A majority of people would remember the ways how Phelps participated in his final individual race. May be, that will remain as Phelps' one of the most memorable competitions in the hearts of his fans. Throughout his last individual swimming race, Phelps chose to stick to the side of the lane over his preference of the customary middle line.
During the finals, Phelps' dive was easy, distinctive and powerful, much better than all his previous dives. He wasn't just propelling himself, but he was flowing naturally, all through by himself, effortlessly.
However, his effort was not enough to keep Joseph Schooling, a 21-year-old swimmer that met Phelps back in Singapore as a kid. Surprisingly, Phelps finished at the same time as his previous close competitors, Clos and László Cseh.
