Rio is Phelps’ chance to bow out on own terms

Michael Phelps is giving himself one last chance to get his Olympic farewell right.

It seems an odd aim for the owner of a record 22 Olympic medals, 18 of them gold.

Four gold medals and two silver in London in 2012 seemed a fitting enough finale to a career that peaked with Phelps’s stunning eight-gold performance in Beijing.

But Phelps knew deep down that he could have done more four years ago, and that “haunted” feeling made it impossible for his post-London retirement to stick.

“I never wanted to have that ‘what if,’” Phelps said of his decision to mount a fifth Olympic campaign in Rio de Janeiro, at the age of 31. “This journey has been incredible. Being able to fall in love with the sport again is something that I’ve always wanted to do, and I did it on my terms.” 

However, his comeback has been far from smooth —disrupted by a drink-driving arrest that sparked a painful period of self-examination.

Phelps has emerged stronger, his renewed relationship with his estranged father resonating even more after the birth of his own son, Boomer, with fiancee Nicole Johnson in May. “It’s a cool thing for Nicole and I, for where we are in our lives,” Phelps said.

His relationship with long-time coach Bob Bowman endures, with Phelps voicing absolute trust in Bowman’s ability to prepare him for his last Olympic hurrah. He has a chance to make more history as he seeks a fourth straight gold in the 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley.