The Rio 2016 Summer Olympics was the last time Michael Phelps entered the pool as a competitive swimmer. Deciding to return for one more Games after he had announced his retirement in 2012, he had a lot to prove. But training was a chore.

Phelps and his then-fiancee Nicole had welcomed their first son, Boomer into the world. And Phelps couldn’t bear to be apart from his son for a moment. But he had to fly back to continue training.

Michael Phelps on being away from his son

On May 5, 2016, around 7:30 at night, the swimming legend Michael Phelps was at a hospital in Arizona, watching his fiancee give birth to their firstborn. When he first held the little boy, Boomer Robert Phelps, in his arms, Phelps started crying.

“I just kind of stood there,” Phelps said. “I didn’t think I would be emotional, but it all just sort of hit me. That’s our son. And you suddenly have this new appreciation for what love really is.” In fact, he’d refused to hold anybody’s baby in his entire life because he wanted his own to be the first.

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Just three days later, he had to catch a plane to Colorado to continue training for the approaching Olympics. As the flight lifted off, Phelps couldn’t hold back the tears. “As soon as we took off, it was brutal,” he explained. “Like something had been taken from me. It was the hardest goodbye I had ever had.”

The only thought that would bring him comfort was that he planned to retire right after the Olympics. In just three months, he would be able to spend all the time in the world with his son. “That’s what I keep reminding myself,” he continued.

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Phelps’ history with his family

For a long period of time, the pool had been an escape for the most decorated Olympian. Michael Phelps’ parents divorced when he was nine years old, and his father’s absence took a toll on him. His mother, Debbie Phelps, and his two sisters were enormously supportive, but the swimmer had other battles to fight.

The doctors diagnosed Phelps with ADHD at 9, and he battled with depression throughout his career. He dated Nicole on and off for years before they finally were together in 2014. He had run-ins with the law, as the police arrested him for driving under the influence that same year.

The 27-time world champion continuously butt heads with his coach, that had become a father figure for Phelps in the absence of his dad. Fred Phelps, his father, tried to reconnect with the swimmer, but it took a long time for them to establish a relationship.

Now a father of three, Michael Phelps has a beautiful family that lives in an enormous mansion in Paradise Valley, Arizona. He’s making the most of his clear post-retirement schedule.

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