Michael Phelps - Beneath the Surface: My Story

Copyright 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 by Michael Phelps and Brian Cazeneuve

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Sports Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Sports Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Sports Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Sports Publishing is a registered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.sportspubbooks.com

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Brian Peterson

Cover photo courtesy of AP Images

ISBN: 978-1-68358-087-4

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-68358-088-1

Printed in the United States of America

CONTENTS

EDITORS NOTE

Few can imagine what its like to set foot in an Olympic stadium, compete against the best of the best, win a medal, and break a record, much less win many medals and break countless records. Michael Phelps was on top of his game when Beneath the Surface was first published in 2004, just after he won a record-breaking eight medals (six golds and two bronzes) at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, and he admitted that he couldnt envision the coming years being more rewarding than those leading up to that moment. If the 2004 games had been the highlight of his career and he never competed again, hed still be revered, honored, and remembered; yet now its clear that he was just getting started, and that the medals, honors, and accolades would keep coming in.

All eyes were on the fresh-faced twenty-three-year-old swimmer from Baltimore when he made a grand return to the 2008 Olympics, ready to keep winning, this time in Beijing, China. Phelps had already made history at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials, where he competed in six individual events, broke two records, and put himself in the running to win eight gold medals in a single Olympics. Speedo, one of his sponsors, increased the stakes by promising their spokesman $1 million if he accomplished the feat.

As the events were underway, it became clear he could do itwin eight gold medals in a single Olympic Games, beating U.S. Olympian swimmer Mark Spitzs seven gold medal record set in 1972. When Phelps won his seventh gold medal by a hair, Spitz raved to the Associated Press: Epic. It goes to show you that not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, hes maybe the greatest athlete of all time. Hes the greatest racer who ever walked the planet. That seventh medal didnt come without a fight; Serbian rival Milorad avi, who contested the result, claimed he was the first one to touch the wall. Although Phelps was awarded first place, officials revealed a year later that though avi had actually finished first, Phelps had touched the wall with such great force that he registered a faster time. This controversy drew even more attention to the sport, and all eyes were on Phelps as he got ready for his final race. avi didnt hold a grudge; like all of Phelps competitors, he was happy that he got to square off against the greatest swimmer, perhaps of all time, and was ecstatic to come so close to catching him in the water.

Many remember tuning in to watch Phelps eighth race, the 4x100-meter medley relay with teammates Brendan Hansen, Aaron Peirsol, and Jason Lezak, and the electric excitement in the air that could be felt right through the television screen. At this point, coverage of the Beijing Games centered on Phelps; his name was familiar not only in the United States, but around the globe. In his usual pre-race routine, Phelps was listening to music on his headphones while focusing on the upcoming racing, and helping his relay team to secure a victory. The stakes were higher than ever before and the moments leading up to the event and the Americans surprising victory would be talked about for weeks to come. It was Phelps who secured the win, as the team was in third place behind Australia and Japan when he jumped in to complete the third leg. Everyone watched as he finished the fastest butterfly split ever for that event (50.58 seconds), passing his opponents and giving Lezak a lead in the final leg that he was able to hold on to until the finish.

The Olympics brought in almost 1 billion more viewers that year than the Athens Games had. Undoubtedly, Phelps and athletes like him were the reason for this high surge of interest. People become fascinated with fierce competitors like Phelps who display good showmanship while obliterating their opponents. Since Phelps debut in the 2000 Sydney Olympics until 2010, the USA Swimming governing body saw a twenty-four-percent increase in membership of year-round swimmers; many were no doubt inspired by Phelps dedication and competitiveness. Perhaps due to his incredible, almost superhuman successes at the 2008 Games at Beijing, Phelps did come under suspicion, with skeptics claiming he had illegal substances in his system. Phelps, who had already signed up for Project Belief, in which U.S. Olympians choose to be tested for substances in their system, proved them all wrong by passing every test with a clean slate. Some might not want to believe that a man can achieve his level of athleticism by simply training, but Phelps owes his success to his resilient coach, an intense training schedule, a supportive family, and some beneficial physical attributes that give him the edge over his competition. His arm span is slightly longer than the length of his body, which helps propel his large torso and lean legs, while his oversized feet help him to accelerate. With these features, Phelps was meant to be a fish in the water, and his mental stamina has never failed him.

After the 2008 Olympics, Phelps once again was in a whirlwind, doing interviews, attracting more sponsors, and touring the world. Using his $1 million bonus from Speedo, he started the Michael Phelps Foundation, with programs to teach children the importance of a healthy and active lifestyle. The foundation also strives to expand swimming as a sport and shows kids how to set goals for themselves.

At the same time, and unbeknownst to many, Phelps did contemplate retirement. He started missing some practices, many thought he didnt take his training as seriously as before, and he gained twenty-five pounds. In an interview in the August 2012 issue with Details magazine, he admitted that At that point, I just didnt have anything. It was weird going from the highest of the high, the biggest point of your lifewinning eight gold medalsand then saying, All right, where do I go from here? I wasnt motivated. I did nothing, literally nothing , for a long time.

Having accomplished so much in such a short period of time and at such a young age, Phelps wasnt sure how to move forward after hitting the glass ceiling and seemingly achieving all he could in the sport; how many more records could he possibly break? What could elevate his career past a peak that he thought he already reached? If he lost belief in himself for a bit, his fans stayed supportive, admiring his resilience and not wanting to see him quit.

Phelps found himself in the middle of more controversy when photos surfaced of the athlete smoking marijuana several months after his return from Beijing. USA Swimming, the governing body for swimming in the United States, suspended Phelps from competitive swimming for three months, and the media speculated that many of his sponsors would not renew their contracts with him. The incident could have been the first of manya result of his fame getting to his head or too much pressure resting on his shouldersbut he chose not to go down that path. While Kelloggs did cancel his endorsement deal, most of his sponsors stuck by him. Once again he proved that he could learn from his mistakes, recover, and continue competing at an even higher level.