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Tag: michael phelps comeback

  • Michael Phelps is Coming Out of Retirement

    Michael Phelps is coming out of retirement to swim next week in the Arena Grand Prix in Mesa, Ariz.

    The Olympic swimmer will compete in a meet in Mesa April 24-26. It will be Phelps’ first competitive meet since the 2012 London Olympics.

    Phelps, 28, holds 18 Olympic gold medals, and 22 medals overall.

    Bob Bowman, Phelp’s longtime coach, said on Monday that Phelps is entered in three events — the 50-meter freestyle, the 100-meter freestyle, and the 100 butterfly.

    “I think he’s just going to test the waters a little bit and see how it goes,” Bowman said.

    “I wouldn’t say it’s a full-fledged comeback,” he said.

    Phelps has been training on Monday through Friday with Bowman’s team at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club in his hometown.

    Phelps will swim in the 100 freestyle and 100 butterfly preliminaries the first day. If he qualifies, he will decide which race to swim in the evening finals. Bowman said Phelps will swim the 50 meter freestyle on the second day, and that he may also swim the 50 meter butterfly “just for fun.”

    Although Phelps has not confirmed interest in entering to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janiero, there is speculation he has his eye on the Rio Games.

    Phelps has been back in training since fall, and he also re-entered a drug testing program with the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency. His six-month waiting period to be eligible to enter the competition ended in March.

    Bowman said Phelps has “gotten back into good shape since September,” but that he is “pretty far” from being back in top form.

    ”He can give a good effort and certainly not be embarrassed. He’s in enough shape to swim competitively,” Bowman said.

    In addition to Phelps, Besides Phelps, Olympians Ryan Lochte and Katie Ledecky are among those expected to swim in the Arena Grand Prix at Skyline Aquatic Center next week.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Michael Phelps Could Be Making A Comeback

    Michael Phelps Could Be Making A Comeback

    Michael Phelps has won 18 gold medals and 22 medals over all, and may be coming back for more. According to his coach, Phelps has already started the anti-doping program, could be participating in an event this spring, and may be joining the U.S. team for the 2015 World Championships.

    Phelps retired from swimming a few years ago and until recently has been downplaying rumors that claim he will be returning to competitions and possibly the Olympics. Phelps’s coach recently hinted that the rumors may be true after all.

    “If he swims a meet in the next couple months and does well, he will probably give it a shot in Irvine,” coach Bowman said. “But he doesn’t have to do that to have a shot at the 2016 Olympics.”

    Bowman also said that Phelps is still in great shape and has been training four to five days per week. He also recently participated in one of Bowman’s programs at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

    If Phelps does join the U.S. team, he will compete this summer in Irvine, California as part of the selection process for the ’15 World Championships. Although Phelps is an amazing athlete and swimmer, comebacks aren’t always easy.

    Phelps has not confirmed or denied the recent rumors and his hardcore training seems to suggest that he is indeed interested in returning to the sport and earning more Olympic medals. Time will tell if he makes a comeback or not.

    Do you think Phelps will return to swimming this summer?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons