The life of Michael Phelps has been a mixed bag of experiences. While on one side, he is the most decorated Olympian of all time, on the other, he has struggled with mental health issues throughout his life. Phelps has become an active advocate for mental health issues, urging people to come forward and talk about their problems. He, himself, has been taking therapy sessions and credits it with saving his life.

One of the significant issues of Phelps’ life is that of separation. The champion swimmer has separation anxiety stemming from his father going away during his childhood. But there’s more turmoil beneath the surface.

Michael Phelps received shocking news during the Sydney Olympics

The bond between a father and son can often be a fragile one. Even a minor incident involving the two can develop into a major one if not handled properly. With Michael Phelps and his father, Fred Phelps, three principal incidents led to their relationship turning sour.

The first was Fred walking away from his family when Michael was just a child. One came when Fred failed to show up to a meet he promised to attend, where Michael set his first-ever short-course national record. In the middle of these two events was the one that devastated Michael to his core. The news of his father’s second wife.

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During the first day of the swimming competition at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Fred shared this news with his son. He pulled Michael aside and asked him to meet his new wife. A news nobody was aware of. Speaking about the incident, Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman, said Michael could not deal with the gravity of the situation.

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Bowman said, “The kid just did the Olympics, he did pretty well. Here is the first day where he can just enjoy being there, and he has this dumped on him? Michael was a basket case. He couldn’t deal with it.” Michael finished 5th in his debut appearance in the 200m Butterfly event at the games.

Michael and his father

Michael and his father have had a complex relationship over the years. The two have been on talking terms on an ‘on and off’ basis. Ever since Fred walked out on the family, Michael had issues dealing with his father in person, but therapy helped him work through his anger.

Michael’s parents got married in 1973 and separated in 1994 when he was 9. As Michael grew older, the two reconnected, and Fred was often on the sidelines as his son rewrote history. Fred was at the Athens Olympics and watched his son grab his first-ever Olympic gold. But there was still tension between them. It was during the family week at his therapy center that things got better for them. Michael invited his father at the advice of his counselors and embraced him with a handshake and a hug.

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Over the next few weeks, Michael and Fred grew closer together, not just as father and son, but also as friends. Michael learned his lessons from interactions with his father and tries to be a better father to his sons.