A Goodbye To Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps, the most dominant force in men’s swimming, just completed the final lap of his career at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The world watched as the 34-year-old Olympian cruised through his first five events. That’s 5 gold medals in 5 events. Phelps entered his 6th race, the 100m butterfly as a heavy favorite. A gold medal would have been welcome cap to his illustrious career. His time of 51.14 seconds was only good enough for a silver medal.
Before this last heat Phelps had crushed the competition on his way to five gold medals in Rio. he was denied one last chance atop the podium and instead found himself in a 3-way tie for second place.
Symbolic Victory
The loss to Singapore’s Joseph Schooling should be looked at as a win by Michael Phelps. All along his goal has been to change the sport of swimming. His efforts have brought immense amounts of recognition to the sport and he will serve as inspiration to future generations of swimmers.
ICYMI: Singapore's Joseph Schooling met Michael Phelps at age 13. Eight years later, he beat him in the 100m fly: https://t.co/ZgTCeEgI52
— ESPN (@espn) August 14, 2016
Schooling is one of those who have idolized and looked up to Phelps. As a young lad he had the chance to meet Phelps, who at that point was an already highly decorated swimmer. The two met in Singapore at a Team USA training camp before the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The meeting was a strong influence on the young Schooling as he pursued
As fate would have it, Schooling’s first gold would deny Phelps his last. And this is possibly the biggest victory for Michael Phelps in the 2016 Rio Olympics. He will be remembered in the decades to come as the most dominant swimmer in the sport. More importantly this final 100m can be seen as a passing of the torch. Phelps has inspired the new generation of swimmers and he is ready to bow out and let them take the lead.
Looking Forward
After Michael Phelps last race in Rio it is unlikely that he will disappear from the spotlight. What he does in the future may be uncertain, but he will certainly be involved in the sport of swimming. He can be seen as an ambassador, promoting the sport to new heights. This promotion of the sport is likely to continue as Phelps has too much love and respect for the sport to simply disappear.
