Michael Phelps is getting ready to represent the United States of America, but he is determined to retire once the London Olympics are over. The American swimmer declared in a recent interview for CBS’s “60 Minutes” that he won’t let himself convinced to take part in the 2016 Brazil Olympics.
The burden that Michael Phelps has to carry on his shoulders this summer is incredibly heavy even for a 6 feet 4 inch swimmer who has won 16 Olympic medals so far. The American athlete will represent his country at the Olympic Games in London for the third time. His results were very good in the past, so everybody expects Phelps to do a great job at the upcoming competition. However, the 26-year-old swimmer is not as confident as the rest of the people and he wears himself out in exhaustive trainings.
The pressure has been so strong that Phelps is determined to withdraw from his sports career after this year’s summer Olympics. He repeated his decision during an interview for the “60 Minutes” show which aired this Sunday on CBS. The swimmer was asked whether he will consider taking part in the 2016 Olympics that will be held at Rio de Janeiro. Phelps replied that he will be done after the July 27-Aug. 12 Summer Games in London.
His mother, Debbie Phelps, would like to see her boy compete at the 2016 competitions because it will be for the first time when Brazil will host the Olympics. Despite her wishes, Phelps has already made up his mind; he stated that he will most likely take his mom to watch the games in Brazil, but he will not participate. “Once I retire, I’m retiring. I’m done,” was the conclusion of the 26-year-old swimmer.
Michael Phelps is the most successful athlete at present due to the 16 Olympic medals he added to his honors list. He won six gold and two bronze medals at the 2004 Olympics which was hosted in Athens and eight gold at Beijing in 2008.