HTLS 2019: ‘I’m in a new world—I’m on land’, says Michael Phelps - Hindustan Times
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HTLS 2019: ‘I’m in a new world—I’m on land’, says Michael Phelps

Hindustan Times, New Delhi | ByRudraneil Sengupta
Aug 02, 2020 09:51 PM IST

SUCCESS MANTRA: Michael Phelps says the biggest thing that motivated him was chasing times. “If I was chasing medals, then I would not have had the longevity that I had in my career.”

Michael Phelps likes to be home. An incredible haul of 28 medals, 23 of them gold, spread over four editions of the summer Olympic Games (2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016), makes Phelps the most decorated Olympian of all time, but now all his time is spent being a father to his three sons. It’s a new life, Phelps says, one where he is also in a new world—“on land!”

Michael Phelps, Swimming Champion and Olympic Record Holder during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.(Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)
Michael Phelps, Swimming Champion and Olympic Record Holder during the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.(Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

In an in-depth interview, the legendary swimmer speaks about his swimming journey, the things that motivated him, the processes that led to that record-breaking haul of medals, what it feels like to watch his pool records being broken, and the importance of opening up about mental health issues.

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Excerpts:

Q: You are the most successful Olympian of all time, but this year, you had two of your records being broken, one of them you had held for 18 long years, the 200m butterfly. How does it feel to watch your records being broken?

A: Obviously, it’s difficult. My 200m butterfly (record) was like my baby. It was in my name for so long. It was tough to watch but when I really break it down, it’s really awesome. Because it shows me that there are kids out there that are dreaming as big as they can possibly dream and they are not giving up. It’s something so special to be able to watch. A lot of people had said that record would stay forever but all records are meant to be broken. Being able to watch him (Kristof Milak), his stroke was unbelievable. He deserves to break the record. And then the 100m Fly, I knew that was gonna happen. Caeleb (Dressel) was giving a few scares over the last couple of years, so that one was only a matter of time.

Q: How did it feel when you broke Mark Spitz’s record at the 2008 Olympics by winning eight gold medals?

A: For me, it was the journey that I was on. I wanted to become the first Michael Phelps. I wanted to do something that nobody else had ever done. Being able to do that, it was a lot of trial and error. We had to figure out the perfect way to get it done. It was all I wanted to do; I wanted to be the first one to do something. My journey was never to be the second Mark Spitz, it was to be the first Michael Phelps. Looking back at my career, I did everything that I wanted to in the pool. I am happy to have retired when I did and not to have to race against these guys anymore. Some of these guys are swimming really fast. So it’s fun to watch and not compete.

Q: Are you going to watch some of them at the 2020 Olympics? Who excites you most?

A: I will be there. I am going to be at the trials in Omaha for the US. I am just excited to see what they do, what the team does, who the leaders are. I would say I am more interested in looking at the team environment than with the swimming. Because that’s something that’s so big, especially for us. We’ve gone into every competition as a tight-knit family. And that’s why we’ve been able to be so successful; I hope the team is still like that and there’s a leader out there that’s taking charge. We have some great athletes—(Katie) Ledecky is swimming unbelievable. I am excited to see what Allison Schmitt does; she’s been living with us in Arizona.

 

Q: You’ve been training her (Schmitt), right?

A: I have been helping her a little bit, yeah. It’s a process and I understand exactly what she is going through. She is a little older in her career and it’s more challenging at this point…so helping her get through those hard points and just letting her know that the Olympics are in a year; we got some time, we can relax a bit and let everything happen that’s supposed to.

Q: You were less than 16 years old when you were headed to your first Olympics (Sydney, 2000). What was that like?

A: I was a deer in front of headlights in Sydney. I had no idea what to expect; it was my first time outside the country, my first national team trip and I was going with an expectation to win a medal. I finished fifth and now when I look back, my suit wasn’t tied, I didn’t have my credentials when I came over to the pool for my finals. I should have taken better control of the situation. For me, the 2000 Olympics was a learning experience; being able to just see what it feels like to be in an Olympic final. That helped me push through the next four years.

 

Q: Is there a medal or a record that’s more special than the others?

A: It’s hard to say one, but my first one was special, 400m IM at the 2004 Olympics. I have to say the 100 Fly. Winning by a hundredth of a second, right place at the right time. 2016, the 200 IM, you know just being able to four-peat…win four back to back to back to back, being able to finish the way I wanted to, that was special.

Q: You’ve spoken about being the first Phelps, but how does the thought that you’ll be the best in the world happen?

A: I was just trying to be the best version of me. That’s all I can be. I pushed myself in competitions and in training to have the opportunities that I had.

Q: And at some point it became apparent that the best version of Michael Phelps will be the greatest swimmer in the world.

A: I guess, yeah, that’s how it worked. The biggest thing was that I was chasing times. That’s what kept me motivated. If I was chasing medals, then I would not have had the longevity that I had in my career. But I was chasing times that I knew I was the only person in the world who could do those times. I knew that if I could get to those times, the results will take care of themselves. So I was working on the small details at practice every single day, things that will give me that opportunity.

Q: It takes a certain kind of mental intensity and drive to do what you’ve done. Give us a peek into what that felt like in your head.

A: The biggest thing were the goals. That was something that my coach Bob (Bowman) taught me to set at a very young age—both short-term and long-term—and once I accomplished one goal, I would move to the next. It was a process that I was doing and there were things that were always keeping me hungry because I was so dedicated and engaged with what I was doing. It was the only thing that could happen.

 

Q: What kind of things kept you hungry?

A: If I did a best time. You saw the hard work paying off. One of the coolest things about swimming is that you can’t just fall into the water and say I want to break a record. There has to be a plan on how you are going to get there. For me and my coach—I came up with a dream, he came up with a plan. That in a nutshell is what my career was like. I was always somebody who was challenging myself mentally to push myself to different levels and limits just to see how far I could truly go.

Q: And then, you stopped swimming. Those long years spent in that regimented, goal-oriented, intense manner, did you have to let go of that a bit?

A: You really can’t because that’s part of who you are. For me I still have goals I want to accomplish, they are outside of the pool, but I will still go through them in the same way that I did when I was in the pool, because I know how to do it. It’s different, because in a way, I’m in a new world—I’m on land! Before, I was just in the water the whole time. That is something I do have to take into account. I’m in a new area, I have to learn new things.

Q: You are father to three children now. What’s a day in your life like?

A: Breakfast and dinner are mine, I take control of that. I make two meals a day. Sometimes the kids are in the pool, sometimes they are just running around the house. I get a workout in, I do some work.

Q: You like being at home.

A: Yeah, I am a home body. For me, our home is our sanctuary. It’s just a very special place. I’ve my gym at my house as well as my office. I love it; there’s no other way it would be.

Q: You are also one of the rare athletes who came out in the open and spoke about your difficulties with depression. Now you are a mental health advocate.

A; It’s just continuing to spread the message that it’s okay to not be okay. I had these things throughout my entire career but I was still able to do what I did. I think it’s just about being able to express the importance of opening up, talking about the struggles you are going through. We are human beings; we can’t expect to be perfect in everything we do. I think if we are able to show a vulnerable side, we are able to then grow from that and learn from that. To save a life for me is better than ever winning an Olympic medal. This is a very enjoyable ride because it’s challenging, I am continuously learning about myself as well. The hard times that I go through, they are going to happen for the rest of my life. I am not going to be able to avoid anxiety or depression because it’s a part of who I am. I accept that and I really just have to learn and make sure that I am sharpening all the tools I have for whatever happens because I never know when I am going into a state of depression. I just have to be prepared for it.

 

Q: These are important things to talk about because most people don’t want to even say they are depressed…

A: The reason I had so much trouble opening up about it was because I didn’t want to show weakness. As a male, especially in the sports world, if you open up about something like that, it’s looked upon as a weakness. But in reality, it’s not. We all have to understand that because if we want sports to be sports, and there are so many amazing things that sports can do for us, we are never going to grow as a society. I think that’s the point where we are and people are finally starting to realise it’s a real thing. We need to talk about it. It can be scary at times, but that’s life. Life can be scary too.

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