OT: Michael Phelps comeback?
Phelps' coach Bob Bowman, of UM and Club Wolverine fame, recently hinted that he could be considering a comeback. The US Championships in Irvine, CA later this year may see Phelps competing, but if it does and he swims well, Bowman thinks he may try for a spot on the 2015 World Championships team.
Link: http://www.webpronews.com/michael-phelps-could-be-making-a-comeback-2014-03
Step away from the bong.
if he's going to move permanently to Colorado Springs?
Ironically, neither does Boulder.
EDIT: I take that back. Actually there is at least one rec shop in Boulder proper that is open now.
...many sports physiologists maintain that men peak at around 28, which is where he is at. If he trains well and avoids injury, I would expect him to perform quite well.
You really know that or just something you heard? I'm not being critical, I'm actually just wondering. I thought I remember 23 or so being the peak, but maybe that was specifically more about one's potential (e.g., easiest time for muscle hypertrophy, etc.), and if you keep that up and keep developing then 28 is the peak? Also, I'm 30 now, so it'd be nice if my peak isn't that far behind me.
Not surprised at all. If you're Phelps, why not give it one more shot? At worst, you stay in the public eye and get more endorsement opportunities.
...is that what they're calling hot girlfriends these days?
March 28th, 2014 at 10:33 PM ^
Even with all the medals he won and how impressive he still was in London, you could easily tell there was a very noticeable decline since Beijing. The whole world would love to see him compete again on a national/international level, but only if he's not a shell of the athlete he once was (even if that shell is still better than most).
One thing's for sure, at 28+, he can't party like he did in Ann Arbor anymore and expect to be in shape and competitive.
A noticable decline from 8 gold medals?
Speaking of Phelps' time in Ann Arbor, was he an enrolled Michigan student? Did anyone ever see him in class?
He dated our next door neighbor, a nice young woman on the swim team. A lot of swim team girls lived next to us, and they were all super nice.
We always felt he didn't seem like the nicest guy, but I imagine being friendly all the time when you're a celebrity is tiring, so it could just be that.
He's too old.
/s
In a sense he is.
If you watch his freestyle from his first 2 Olympics and compare them to his London swims, he has lost some of the flexibility is his hips.
let's not forget pad level
Jordan was a much better SNL host.
I definitely noticed a decline from Beijing to London. Yes, he still performed amazingly in London. However, it was pretty apparent that he wasn't what he was four years earlier in Beijing. While a comeback would be interesting, I just don't see Phelps being able to perform like he did.
Sure, he's not going to be 2008 Olympics-good, and probably not 2012-good, either. But he still might be good enough to medal in something, and that's reason enough to give it a shot. Even if he fails, it's not like it will tarnish what he's already accomplished. And really, he's got plenty of free time after swimming to come.
He's coming back, he already put his name in and entered the international testing program for doping.
I'd rather take my name out and just continue doping.
As a volunteer?
One of my best friends was a swimmer at Pitt. One of her best friends trains with Phelps or something like that, and she basically guarantee's Phelps is going to be in the olympics in 2016.
It's not a well kept secret, he's pretty much planned on it happening the entire time, he just didn't want to deal with training intensley or competing on the international circuit for the last two years.
he's been here for years.
Why not?
No one, and I mean absolutely no one, gives a shit about "swimming legacies." If Mike feels that he is still capable of winning yet a few more medals in the upcoming olympic games, then why the hell not? He is an American legend. His legacy has already been written. Anything else at this point is just padding his stats. It brings not only him, but the entire USA team that much more attention and hype.
Having Michael Phelps in the olympics is great for everyone.
He is SO competitive and would definitely help the Olympic squad. I can't wait to see him compete again. USA!USA!
I mean c'mon, what the hell else is he ever going to do in his life (professionally) that will even compare 1/10th to the experience of winning at the Olympics? The moment he is no longer gunning for the Olympics, his life becomes rather mundane. I mean, still a great life, but he's most likely never going to do anything else to rival what he has done as an Olympic Athlete. So why not do it for as long as he can? If i were him I would do it for as long as I felt like I had a shot at even 1 more gold medal.
this is bound to happen. I'm sure he got bored of playing golf all the time and decided to have another go. Hey why not, nothing to lose and if he wins a few medals. he can say that at the age of 31 he won an olympic medal with 2 years training. And even though there was a drop off from 2008 to 2012 he won 4 golds and was a total of .1 seconds away from 6. One of those wasnt even his fault.