TOKYO — Before Sunday, the last medal season of Olympic swimming in which Michael Phelps was not a member of Team USA was the 1996 final in Atlanta, a realization that filled Phelps as he took his commentator's seat for NBC at Tokyo Aquatics. Were settled. center on Sunday, with a bundle of emotions he called "heavy." It turns out that no one is big enough that the Summer Games can't go on without them, not even the most decorated Olympian of all time.
“It’s weird. That’s the easiest way to tell you,” Phelps, 36, said in an interview in between sessions for the Tokyo 2020 Swim Meet. “Walking in the pool this morning I was filled with so many emotions. But it was almost peaceful for me to be here. I was so excited, just being back in [a circle] made me feel very comfortable. I've spent so much time on this. "
As it so happened, in the first Olympic swimming season since his retirement, Phelps was probably ready to see only one thing, in terms of personal fulfillment, approach a 24th gold medal for Phelps: Team USA veteran. Chase Kalis, a Phelps protege he is often compared to a younger brother, wins the gold medal he won five years earlier in the 400m individual medley in Rio de Janeiro – and is doing it in the MP3 brand swimsuit, Phelps's Biggest winning impression ever for swimwear
“I know how badly he wanted it. I know how hard he worked to get there,” Phelps said of Kallis, his lifelong training partner at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. “I was able to see him do it. Being that, I was in tears. I was so happy for him. [and] I'm so glad he's in my suit. Winning my first swim meet medal in my suit - it's a dream come true for me. For me personally, the Olympics couldn't have started better than this."
In addition to his NBC gig, Phelps is in Tokyo as a businessman — pumping up his swimwear line; performing for Omega Timing, for which he remains a spokesperson; And generally enjoying the fruits of being a "goat" in retirement.
Reviews of Phelps as a swimming commentator have been overwhelmingly positive, and he said he loves being able to share his accumulated insights with NBC's viewers. Like many swimming lovers, he said he is most looking forward to the 400 and 200 freestyle duets between American freestyle legend Katie Ledecky and Australian rival Ariane Titmus in Tokyo.
"It will be the first time [in an Olympics] where Katie has her hands full," Phelps said.
Since revealing his battle with depression and ADHD several years ago, Phelps peppers his answers with hints at his mental health outreach and his continuing journey in self-discovery.
"I just love being able to be me," said Phelps, who is the parent of three boys with wife Nicole. "I've been on a short journey, just understanding more about myself and I'm a certain person. Why do I work? I am happy where I am. I don't miss the training, the competitive part. I am happy to be a father, happy to be a husband."
Even when he opens himself up throughout his 6-foot-4 frame, he still looks like he can throw down a sub-two-minute 200 IM, until you notice he's a little bit at first. is thin. The beard has to go too. Since walking away from the sport for good after the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games - in which he increased his all-time Olympic medal run tally to 28, including 23 gold - Phelps says he now only swims at home when he Some "peace and quiet" are required. "
"I don't get much peace and quiet for myself," he said. "If I'm spending my day, if I'm in a bad mood, if I'm struggling a little, it's the best place for me to go. Because it's the most calming, the most relaxing And I can let my brain run. It's almost like I'm on autopilot."
Although he has more time in retirement, he has found that time management is an acquired skill that he never had to learn back in the day – when his every waking hour was written down by a coach or trainer or agent.
"It's very hard," he said, "because when I was competing, people told me where to go and when to go. I had to be here for practice at the moment, for the weight at that time and for that. Time was to go back to the pool for practice. That was basically my day. Plus, I'd sleep [and] eat. That's it.
"Now I'm having a fight with three kids, trying to make sure I'm taking care of everything I want in the business world, but also trying to make sure That I take care of my mental health, my personal well-being. It's a full-time job."