Michael Phelps may be the most decorated Olympian, but the athlete did not have it easy. The swimmer had to overcome various challenges to become the GOAT of his sport.

Although Phelps did not always experience these struggles in his professional career, he had a troubled childhood, and that was partly due to the absence of his father, Fred Phelps, from his life.

Michael Phelps reconcile his relationship with his father

Phelps’ parents divorced when he was nine years old. And even though he and his father kept in touch initially, the two grew apart after a while. The 28-time Olympic medalist’s busy regimen had a part to play.

Their relationship suffered to the extent that the two were not even on speaking terms. Over the years, both had drifted apart because of various factors, but Phelps’ busy schedule played a significant role.

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However, the Baltimore Bullet has moved past his issues with his father to reconcile their differences. The change occurred when Phelps was undergoing therapy at the Meadows. At the treatment center, the five-time Olympian realized something he had been doing most of his life.

Reflecting on past events, Phelps said, “I was just pushing people away.”

So the athlete reached out to his father from the facility to put the past behind and reconnect again. They have kept in constant touch since then.

Phelps suffered from a recurring dream since childhood about snakes. He remembers that it started around the time his parents divorced. However, the swimmer revealed that the dream stopped completely following their reconciliation.

“It’s kind of weird,” Phelps stated. “Once my father and I started talking, I haven’t had a dream about snakes since.”

What led to Phelps’ strained relationship with his father?

The Olympian confessed about his difficult childhood because of his father’s absence during a 2015 interview. The Flying Fish said, “For me, not having a father always there was hard.”

One of the instances that Phelps remembers vividly was when his father failed to turn up at one of the most important meets of his life. Before the meet, Fred promised his son that he would attend the event.

However, his father could not be present during the event, which would turn up to be one of the first among Phelps’ many major record-breaking feats, his first short-course record. His father’s inability to turn up at the event disappointed the swimmer.

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And in time, the relationship suffered to the point where they were not speaking with each other.