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U.S. OLYMPIC SWIM TRIALSJune 29, 2016Michael PhelpsOmaha, Nebraska THE MODERATOR: We're here with now five-time Olympian -- MICHAEL PHELPS: That sounds weird. THE MODERATOR: -- Michael Phelps after his 200 Butterfly win. MICHAEL PHELPS: My last swim as a 30-year-old. Last 200 Fly on US soil. THE MODERATOR: Did you want to say anything or go right to questions? MICHAEL PHELPS: No, y'all can ask. I'm good. Q. The moment with Nicole and Boomer, can you describe that? MICHAEL PHELPS: I wanted to go over, and I've always given my family my flowers and stuffed animal, and that's, I guess, his first stuffed animal from a race, so I just wanted to share that with them. I don't see him every day. I try to, but if I do it's for a very short moment, so any time I have with him is always very special. Q. Could you describe that last 50? MICHAEL PHELPS: Awful! All you gotta say. No, it's -- honestly, I said to Bob, I said I wanted to be a 1:22 at the 150, and I was. I haven't felt great in the water but, you know, it's -- this is -- like I said, I'm checking a box off, being able to get on the team. We have a little over thirty days to prepare ourselves for the next time that we race, and Bob and I have talked about some things that we probably can change between now and then and just move forward. By no means am I happy about going a 1:54, but I'm happy to have the opportunity to represent my country at the Olympic Games. Q. Michael, what did you see from Tom Shields tonight and what do you think about your duo going to Rio? MICHAEL PHELPS: Tom and I swim pretty much the same way, we take it out and step on the gas the first 100 and we see where we stand. I've seen Tom put together some pretty good 200 Butterflies over the last couple of years. I think his stroke is getting a lot better. It's exciting that we will be able to train a little bit together and kinda race each other in the training camp, which is something I look forward to. Q. Bob, what does five-time Olympian mean to you? MICHAEL PHELPS: It means we have been through a hell of a lot, a hell of a lot together, Jesus! BOB BOWMAN: You know, I've been out there a lot of times at medal ceremonies -- well, Allison's first and his second -- and this is the first time I cried. That's what it means to me. Q. Michael, it was great seeing you go over to your child and reminiscent of 1976 and Gary Hall and Gary Hall, Jr. were there. It looked like you whispered something in your child's ear -- MICHAEL PHELPS: I didn't whisper. I gave him a kiss, and he made a couple of grumbling noises and he was sound asleep. I don't know if he was awake during the race but he was definitely sound asleep right then. It's just special being able to have Nicole and I's first born being able to be part of the journey that we're on right now. Q. Just current events, tying in how timeless this whole experience has been for you, and you wanted to change the sport, but I have to kind of reflect on Muhammad Ali and what he did in his entire life. Did he impact you in some way? Did you ever meet him, and upon his death did you reflect on those type of magnificent impressions he made in the world? MICHAEL PHELPS: I had the privilege of spending a few moments with Muhammad Ali. My first one before the 2004 Olympics, and I'll never forget him holding his first up to my face and saying, "You better win all of those gold medals"! And a few years after that we spent several times together. Just being able to be around somebody who did what he believed was best and, you know, he was himself and I think that was awesome. That's what made him who he was. I think, you know, for me, this is something -- this is a time where I'm being my absolute self, and he was just -- he's a sports icon and somebody that we will all look up to forever. Some of the greatest quotes I've ever read came out of his mouth. I was reading his top 24 or top 20-some that was written in a newspaper, and I was laughing at some and nodding my head, agreeing to everything he said. Q. Your relationship with this event, the 200 Fly, everybody talks about it was your first Olympic event in 2000, but not only there. When you came back in 2014 you said, "I don't think I can do this one anymore." Can you just expand on the significance of you making the fifth Olympic Team in this event in the last couple of years? MICHAEL PHELPS: Like you said, this was the first event I made the Olympics in 2000, and we've had some good races and not so good races in this event in our Olympics history. In 2014 we weren't really sure what really was going on so, you know, this being a little slower than what I went last summer, pretty much a 150 was pretty much there, and then I don't know what happened the last 50. I was just praying to hit the wall first or second. BOB BOWMAN: It wasn't 50, it was like the last 20. MICHAEL PHELPS: The piano felt pretty hard, and this is an event that Bob and I have worked on for so many years. Bob has worked on for maybe 16 years, and I've maybe worked hard -- BOB BOWMAN: Eight. MICHAEL PHELPS: Eight to 10. Being able to have this event, this is an event my sister swam as well, so it's something that's very special to the family and, you know, just looking forward to hopefully swimming faster than what I swam here. Q. Speaking of times, when you look back at the times from '08 and '09, records that still stand, are you awed by them like everybody else is, or are you frustrated that you can't get closer to them? Was that just the absolute sweet spot of your career? MICHAEL PHELPS: I think there are a lot of records out there that are very, very, very, very, very fast, and I believe there are some records out there that are beatable. I would like to think that anytime that Bob and I work hard for a year that we're able to get a best time. It's been a long time. It's been a hell of a long time since I've had a best time. I haven't swam best times since 2009. I would like to have maybe one before I retire. I hope. I hopefully can get at least one in the next couple -- the next, what, four weeks or so, here or there. BOB BOWMAN: But in all fairness, it's what Phil said, like, some of those records are -- MICHAEL PHELPS: Some of them are ridiculous. BOB BOWMAN: Some of them you were in the prime of your prime, and everything is going right. MICHAEL PHELPS: I don't know, I believe any record is beatable. BOB BOWMAN: At some point, for sure. Q. Can you talk about Allison, all the stuff she's gone through the past few years, and to have her make it, tonight, too, I mean, Bob touched on it just a little bit but can you talk about what that means to you guys? MICHAEL PHELPS: Allison is like a sister to me. She has lived with us for a while now, and I just love her to death. I'm so proud of everything that she has been able to overcome and things that she has been able to do. I've watched her go through some ups and downs and, you know, for her to be able to make the team, her third one, I think is very impressive. You know, to think back to where she was, where she was not in a very good place and now she is happy and now she is outgoing and now she is her normal self again, and I think that's where she enjoys to be. She is the outgoing person and still telling jokes every day. They might not be funny but they're still there! I'm just so proud of her, and I'm looking forward to actually seeing her besides in the water; that's the only time I saw her tonight. BOB BOWMAN: Yeah, echo what Michael said. The journey with Allison has been a long one, very much like Michael, I think, you know, 10 years, 12, started a long time ago. MICHAEL PHELPS: 2005? BOB BOWMAN: Yeah, '5, I think. So for her to be an Olympian tonight for the third time when I know where she was in 2013, it's a small miracle, I think. And like I said, first time I ever cried out there, I couldn't really stop when she was up there, because there were so many days we never thought we would be having a chance, and she stuck with it and worked on things that were very, very hard and dealt with a lot of things, and while we may not jump up and down for her time, I could care less, because she is going to the Olympics, and she is going to swim fast there and she is going to help us out. It's very meaningful for me, and I'm sure obviously for Allison, but for all of us. Q. Would the teenage you that stood out there in 2000 recognize you now? Do you remember that kid? BOB BOWMAN: No way. MICHAEL PHELPS: I remember him. I definitely remember him. BOB BOWMAN: I remember him. MICHAEL PHELPS: Golly, I was -- BOB BOWMAN: At the press conference like this, the question was, "Do you have a girlfriend?" MICHAEL PHELPS: Oh my gosh, "Have you kissed her?" and I was like, "No comment." I was like wait, what? BOB BOWMAN: We have progressed in subject matter over the 16 years. MICHAEL PHELPS: I don't know if he would recognize who I am today, but I definitely recognize him, and I recognize the journey from, you know, from the start of it when Bob and I first started back when I was 11 years old and to where we are today being 31 tomorrow, you know, over the last 20 years, two decades spent together. It's been the best two decades of my life. Maybe. (Chuckles.) BOB BOWMAN: You had 10 before. It was a good first 10. MICHAEL PHELPS: We've had a lot of great memories together! Q. Michael, when you came down to the Mixed Zone you were a tad emotional; you had to catch yourself there. I was curious if you can put into words, articulate why this means so much to you, what it is about this? MICHAEL PHELPS: Just sorta coming back. Coming back and being able to have the opportunity to finish how I want. Yeah, like I said, I'm not happy about the time but being able to make my fifth is something that means a lot to me and that I think, you know, 20 years from now I will be able to look and be happy with making that decision to come back. Even when Bob looked at me and said you are crazy about wanting to come back. You know? I'm doing this because I wanted to. And thinking about the ups and downs we've gone through in and out of the pool to get to this point and, you know, not feeling an absolute 100% but still being able to get the job done. You know, I think that's really why, and I think just sort of where I am in life. I think things are probably going to hit me a lot more emotionally now than what they would have in the past, because I'm enjoying the moment and I'm embracing the moment and taking it one step at a time and, you know, every time I have walked in to this building kind of for finals I've kinda gotten chills and just feel that excitement literally as soon as I walk through that door after bag check every night. So it's just a great experience for me, and, like I said before, hopefully I can just build off of this and go out and have some fun now. The pressure is off. Q. Michael, how important was it to you to get a shot at getting that gold medal back from Chad? When you weren't at 100 percent, how much motivation did that provide? MICHAEL PHELPS: I've definitely thought about that race. I actually just watched that race for the first time not too long ago. I was so anti watching that race because I just didn't even want to bring up the memories, and I know there's a lot that I did in that race that I'm not going to do again, and I think I'm a lot more prepared this time than I was last time. So, you know, we have 33, 32 days left before they start, and then I'm looking forward to that race. I mean, I didn't have the chance to race him last summer. I'm looking forward to having the chance to race him this summer. Q. The first half of this meet has been a rough go for some defending gold medalists, Missy, Ryan, Grevers, do you look at that at all and think nothing is a given and you've got to go out there and try to grab it? MICHAEL PHELPS: Yeah, you seen that not only happen at this Olympic Trials but you can see it happen at past Olympic Trials as well. If you're not ready that day you are not on the team; you have no chance. I think that's where this is so much more nerve-wracking than I think the Olympic Games is, because we have so many swimmers that we could send to the Olympic Games, and it is kind of -- I don't want to say cut-throat, but it's a very intense environment for eight days, and you just have to be prepared and, you know, it's exciting for me in a way, because I get to see some new faces, and I get to see some new kids that are excited to step up and take over the shoes that we're going to be leaving in the next couple of weeks. It's good to see the excitement from the kids; that's what I love to see, because there have been some times where I was kind of second guessing to see if we had really exciting kids that were ready to step up and fill our shoes when we leave, but I see that more and more in the sport every day, and I think, you know, I might not know half of the team but by the end I have a feeling I will know the whole team. Q. Earlier Dave Marsh was talking about the new faces coming on to the team, and he was talking about your leadership, particularly over the last year. How do you envision your role on the Olympic Team? MICHAEL PHELPS: You know, it's kind of the same thing I've been doing here even at Trials. Like I said yesterday, there was a kid who asked me what I think about before the race. Nothing! What's the point of thinking about anything? You're just going to psych yourself out, and might as well go out and race. So kind of little things like that I've been sharing with other people, and for me in 2014 I had a blast being there with all the new faces that we had on the team. I was disappointed not having that opportunity last summer but looking forward to that opportunity again this year where we will have some fresh faces and maybe some kids that I've never heard of, but it will be exciting for me to kinda pass the torch and to help them enjoy their Olympic experience and get the most out of it. THE MODERATOR: Thanks, everybody. We will see you tomorrow afternoon. 200 IM begins at Noon. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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