Michael Phelps is arguably the greatest competitive swimmer in the history of the sport. Throughout the American’s career, he earned 23 Olympic golds, three silvers, and two bronzes. Michael even set an Olympic record at 31. However, Phelps made a “dumb” mistake shortly after turning 18. The young prodigy hurt his toe while messing around with his rims and got a black toe for his troubles.

Michael was aware the careless move could’ve cost him his career. In his 2004 book, Michael spoke about the incident in detail.

One careless move jeopardized everything for Michael Phelps

In his book ‘Beneath the Surface’, Michael Phelps recalls an incident that happened after his 18th birthday. The prodigy was ready to leave for the World Aquatics Championships. However, one evening, Phelps took a phone call outside because of poor reception, and that’s when it happened. Phelps wrote, “(I) Casually started spinning my rims with my feet while I was wearing flip-flops. I went to kick at the rims and didn’t pull back fast enough. The rims nailed my right big toe.”

Micheal said as a result the toe stayed black for a while. While the Olympic legend didn’t face any problems while working out, he said, “Every time I put pressure on the toe, I was aware that I had done something dumb.”

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The Olympian added, “The toenail started wearing away over the next six months until it finally fell off whole.” While the toenail incident was a minor injury, it could’ve been much worse. Phelps could’ve jeopardized his future if the rims nailed more than one finger.

The American swimming prodigy gave a stellar performance during the 2003 World Championships. Phelps won gold in the 200m, 400m, 4x100m medley, and the 220m butterfly. The then-18-year-old also broke five world records during the event. Next year Phelps took part in his first Olympics.

His father didn’t call him on his birthday

Michael and his father, Mr. Fred Phelps, had a complicated relationship when he was young. Phelps recalled Fred got upset when Michael gave the second ticket flying to Barcelona to Hilary. The Olympian said that his father got very upset and didn’t answer his calls afterward. Phelps wrote, “There was no call back on my birthday.” However, in recent years, the father-son duo had patched things between them before Fred passed away.

Watch this story – From Lactic Acid to Webbed Feet: Here’s How Michael Phelps’ Heart Kate Edger Him Over Other Competitors

Michael Phelps had a historic career. He became the most decorated Olympian, and by a vast margin. Throughout his career, Michael earned over 100 medals. However, one careless mistake on Michael’s part nearly jeopardized all of it. Phelps was lucky to have escaped with just a black toe.