Phelps hoping swansong hits the right notes

LONDON: Having ended his career once in London on what he considered a sour note, Michael Phelps enters the Rio de Janeiro Olympics pool for his second swansong determined to bow out on his own terms. At the 2012 London Olympics, which he also declared would be his last, Phelps won four gold and six medals but walked away filled with the regret that he simply went through the motions. “Going into ‘12, I just didn’t want to do it,” the 31-year-old said last month. “I tried to fake it. I wanted to get in and out as fast as I could and really wanted nothing to do with it. That haunted me for a while. I came back because I wanted to. I’m enjoying the moment and I’m embracing the moment and taking it one step at a time,” said Phelps, who has a chance to add to his record total of 22 medals.