“I Felt Like I Failed”- 28-Time Olympic Medalist Michael Phelps Recalls His Most Disappointing Olympics

Published 04/08/2022, 10:00 AM EDT

Arguably the greatest Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps dominated four Olympic Games. He won 23 gold medals in these four Olympic games out of the total 28 he has won. It is just an incredible feat, as achieving this feat would take a superhuman effort. However, in a recent interview, he spoke about the most disappointing Olympics he had.

In a recent conversation with the GOAT, he opened up on the 2012 London Olympics, being the only one that could have gotten better. He won four gold medals and two silver at the Olympic Games.

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Michael Phelps’ had a hard time in 2012

Although winning four gold medals and two silvers is just an extraordinary feat, the bar set by Phelps is just incredible. He won six gold and two bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, followed by the record-breaking eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. After the 2012 London Olympics, he ended his career on a high with five gold medals and one silver medal. Hence, Phelps talked opened upon the disappointments of the 2012 London Olympics.

“For me, 2012 was one of my most upsetting and disappointing Olympics. I mean, I felt like I failed. But, I got the results that I deserved because I kinda played around and didn’t really prepare myself. So, I got beat. I went slower than I wanted to. But, that was the motivation for me to get back,” said Phelps.

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After that Olympics, Phelps retired from swimming because of achieving everything he had to achieve. Hence, he talked about having nothing to prove as he retired from the sport.

“I accomplished every goal I ever wanted to … I’ve done everything I ever wanted to do … and, at that point, it’s just time to move on,” mentioned Phelps.

The incredible Rio 2016

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In that conversation he mentioned, he spoke of that disappointment being “the motivation for me to get back”. That happened during the 2016 Rio Olympics. Along with Phelps, Usain Bolt was competing in his final Olympic Games. He won three gold medals and retired in style. Similarly, Phelps wanted to leave his mark on the grandest stage of them all. Amazingly, he did just that!

The legacy he leaves in the swimming pool is incredible. If anyone matches his Olympic medals, it would be an achievement to remember for ages. As for now, let’s remember what Michael Phelps did in the swimming pool for nearly two decades.

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Written by:

Jacob Gijy is a US Sports and NBA writer at EssentiallySports. Gijy finished his Post Graduation in Psychology and worked in a hospital for 2 years before his passion for sports compelled him to find his way to sports journalism. A fan of the great Tim Duncan, he is always ready to pick up a debate with anyone who does not offer the power forward, the respect he deserves.

Edited by:

Simar Singh Wadhwa

“I Felt Like I Failed”- 28-Time Olympic Medalist Michael Phelps Recalls His Most Disappointing Olympics

Michael Phelps’ had a hard time in 2012

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