Michael Phelps begins his second farewell tour
OMAHA, Neb – The long farewell begins Tuesday.
Michael Phelps and his coach Bob Bowman finally gave up the news Sunday night that Phelps will start his fifth and final – this time for sure – run at the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials in the 200 butterfly Tuesday, scratching from the 200 freestyle Monday. What was certain before that decision was that this goodbye to racing on American soil will be infinitely sweeter than in 2012 when he and Bowman were at odds and Phelps had no interest in the trials much less the London Olympics.
"I just didn't want to do it," Phelps reiterated during a press conference before the trials began here for the third time Sunday. "That's pretty much the only thing that needs to be said. I wasn't happy doing what I was doing. I sure as hell wasn't training, we all saw that. I don't like allowing myself to do that. That was something that haunted me for a while."
Phelps faked his way, if you will, through London, earning six more medals including four golds with talent transcending even poor preparation by his standard. Then he retired, seemingly content with winning twice as many gold medals (18) as any other Olympian, in any sport. Except he really wasn't ready to exit or grow up. He talked Bowman into allowing him back at North Baltimore Aquatic Club, returning to competition in April 2014 in Mesa.
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Phelps, then 28, still was not ready to exorcise all his demons including excessive drinking. He was arrested for the second time for drunken driving in September 2014, leading to an 18-month probation (that ended June 19) in lieu of a jail sentence. Phelps entered a treatment center in Arizona for a six-week stay that so far has genuinely changed his life. He returned from USA Swimming probation at the 2015 Arena Pro Series meet in Mesa and, to complete the transformation into an Arizonan, moved west to train with Bowman when he left North Baltimore to become Arizona State's coach.
Phelps' first child, Boomer, was born in Arizona, three weeks early on May 5. He already knows his next career move, joining Bowman's ASU staff as a volunteer assistant. First, though, is the matter of making a good second final impression. Provided he qualifies for the Olympics – something few doubt – Phelps plans for his fiancee Nicole Johnson to be in Rio (Aug. 5-21) with Boomer, saying he's not worried about Zika virus issues.
"Bo, Boom, you can go a lot of different ways with a nickname," said Phelps, whose inspiration for the name came from former NFL quarterback Boomer Esiason. And the middle name, Robert, naturally is for Bowman, who has coached Phelps since he was 11 and served as a surrogate father since his parents divorced.
For Bowman, 52, these trials are about more than Phelps or Allison Schmitt or Chase Kalisz or any of the others he trains at ASU. As first-time U.S. Olympic men's coach, he bears a share of the responsibility for extending a legacy of Olympic men's medal dominance going back to 1960 (other than the 1980 U.S. Olympic boycott).
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Bowman was U.S. men's assistant coach at the three most recent Olympics and head coach at the 2013 World and 2014 Pan Pacific Championships. It would almost be an injustice if he wasn't Olympic head coach once in the Phelps era since going into these trials, the 22-time overall medalist has filled almost 18 percent of the U.S. individual men's swimming berths since 2004. Seven of the nine Olympic relays he's been on have won gold.
"I feel better about it (U.S. men's team) because we've got some of these young guys stepping up in the freestyle events that we need for the relays," Bowman said. "I'm more confident than I was, and I have a feeling after the trials I'll be more confident because we always have people step up."
Phelps will make trials swims in both butterfly events and the 200 IM. He also can take some pressure off Bowman when it comes to relay decisions if he goes through with swimming in the 100 free at least in preliminaries. "Whoever is swimming the best should be on those (free) relays," Phelps said. "I'm fine with whatever they choose."
Bowman said Phelps, who turns 31 Thursday, was "a little bit tired" at his final pre-trials meet, June 3-5 in Austin, Texas. "I think I underestimated the stress that having the baby put on him. I probably should have backed off training a little bit more than I did. He literally trained that morning (in Colorado Springs), went straight to the airport, came down here (to Phoenix), trained the next morning and Saturday then came back (to Colorado). He may have missed one practice.
"In terms of the training he's put in, there is just no way he can't swim better off that. He's much further along than he was a year ago and he had an amazing end of the year (at 2015 nationals). So I don't see why he wouldn't do it again."
