Michael Phelps isn’t a personality that requires much introduction. This now-retired Olympian is most well-known for his records in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, where the latter earned him 8 Gold medals. He was thus crowned as the most successful swimmer of our time. For a persona so large, naturally, his biography is bound to have some intriguing elements. Phelps released his biography in 2004, titled “Beneath the Surface.”

The book stays true to its title, delving deep under the surface of Michael Phelps’s life as an Olympian. The book has quite a few chapters, and each deals with incidents from his birth to success and beyond. Phelps discussed a particular incident here where his father, who was a trooper, used his state powers to save his boy.

His father pried Michael Phelps away from death

In chapter 2, “Close Calls” Phelps recounted an incident of his childhood that nearly had him dead. When the swimmer was just two, he suddenly fell ill with a mysterious virus and things got progressively worse with every moment. His condition eventually got so bad that hospitalization became necessary.

But, back in 1987, transportation became an issue at the Franklin Square Hospital, which stood 45 minutes away. Meanwhile, his condition became worse. His father, Michael Fred Phelps was a state trooper for Maryland and quickly took matters to his own. As the athlete recounts, “He flashed his lights and blared his siren and got me there just in time… “

Such was the condition that the doctors diagnosed that had he been delayed further, damages would’ve been irreparable. Looking back at that moment, this Olympian couldn’t help but make this statement, “The stopwatch was important in my life even then.”

READ MORE: “I’ve Helped Other People”: Michael Phelps Shared a Valuable Life Lesson With Golf Legend Tiger Woods When He Was Floating in Serious Controversy.

How Phelps’ father left an impact on his life

Phelps has recounted in interviews how his father has left an impact on his life, be it positive or negative. In 2009, his parents went through a divorce and Phelps began living with his mother. Deep down, he had a hard time coping with it. Even though he had a few guiding figures and the pool there for him, the champ isn’t shy to accept that those were troubling times for him.

Now that Phelps is a father himself and has retired professionally, he can devote more time to his children. His love for them is evident from his Twitter bio. One thing his fans and readers can take from the book is the indomitable spirit. This is Michael Phelps, and that’s what makes him.

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