The 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, is one for history books. Team USA took home a total of 121 Olympic medals – 46 of which are gold. However, the 2016 Summer Olympic Games will be one of the most talked about events in the year of 2016 due to one man, and one man only.
Michael Phelps.
Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time, winning a total of 28 Olympic medals. He began his Olympic career in 2000, at the Sydney, Australia, Olympic Games. He became the youngest male American swimmer to compete in the Olympics at just 15 years old. Even though he did not place during his first Olympics, he became the greatest Olympian of all time. However, in years past, people have questioned his credibility.
In 2009, a photo of Phelps smoking at a party was released, thus, resulting in the loss of his sponsor, Kellogg. In September of 2012, the United States and USA Swimming were taken aback after discovering one of the teams’ most valuable athletes had been arrested for DUI. Two years later, Phelps was arrested for a second DUI in Maryland. After being arrested in 2014, Phelps went to a rehabilitation center for six weeks.
Now, after his rehabilitation, Michael Phelps has become one of the most talked about people of 2016, but not because of his events in years past.
Michael Phelps brought five gold medals and one silver medal home from the 2016 Summer Olympics. He took the world by storm by having one of the greatest comebacks of all time. After announcing the end of his swimming career, in an interview with USA Swimming, he said, “Where I am now is exactly how I wanted to finish”, about his swimming career.
2016 was not only a memorable year for Phelps after the Olympics. In 2015, he proposed to his now fiancée, Nicole Johnson, and in May of 2016, they had their first child, Boomer Phelps.
Michael Phelps is not going to be remembered by his gold medals. He is going to be remembered for his hard work, dedication, and drive to achieve his goals.
Whether you have watched all of his races, or not a single one, you still hear about his story.
Phelps’ comeback is the greatest of all time not because of his achievements in his swimming career, but because he has proved there is no need to dwell in the past. If you keep looking backwards, you won’t have the ability to move forward in your life.