Is Michael Phelps still close to Allison Schmitt?
Michael Phelps is one of the greatest ever swimmers the sport has seen and his friend Allison Schmitt is also a very successful swimmer. The latter has won 10 Olympic medals of her own, across four editions of the Summer Games the she competed in.
Most swimming fans know about the friendship between Allison Schmitt and Michael Phelps.
Allison has known Phelps since her high school days. Phelps has guided Allison throughout her career ever since they got to know each other.
The two share the same coach in Bob Bowman. Allison also lived with Michael Phelps, his wife Nicole, and their son Boomer for some time. But now, the Phelps family has grown bigger and it's been six years since Phelps retired from the sport.
But is Michael Phelps still close to Allison Schmitt?
Yes, Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt are still close and that's the bond of their friendship. Even though Phelps has retired from competitive swimming and doesn't spend much time with Allison in the swimming arena, they spend time together as friends.
Schmitt often posts photos with the three sons (Boomer, Beckett, Maverick) of Michael Phelps.
This indicates the strong connection she has with Michael Phelps and his family. No matter how things change in life, the friendship between two individuals tends to stay strong. The friendship between Phelps and Schmitt is an example of that. Allison is also great friends with Nicole Johnson, the wife of Michael Phelps.
The 'Flying Fish' even described Allison as being like his 'little sister' in 2015 during his interview with USA Swimming. He said that Allison was like a younger sibling to him and he loved her to death. Apart from their friendship, he was also a mentor to her.
Allison Schmitt at the Olympics
Allison Schmitt has so far won 10 Olympic medals, including four golds, three silvers, and three bronze. She made her Olympic debut in the women's 200-meter freestyle event of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and finished in ninth position.
Later in the Beijing Olympics, Allison competed in the women's 4x200-meter freestyle relay event along with her teammates. In that event, Team USA won the bronze medal while Australia and China finished in the first and second place.
Allison competed in the 2012 London Olympics and won a medal in each of the events she competed in.
Allison and her teammates won the bronze medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. The total time taken by the American team to complete the event was 3:34.24, which was a national record. Schmitt won a silver medal in the 400-meter freestyle relay and this was her first individual Olympic medal.
The Pittsburgh-born swimmer won her first Olympic gold medal in the 200-meter freestyle event at the 2012 London Olympics. She won her second gold medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay event.
Allison won another gold medal in the 4x100-meter medley relay event, taking her tally to three gold medals at the London Olympics.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Schmitt competed in only two events - the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. Allison and her teammates won a gold in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and a silver in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
At the most recent 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Allison won a silver medal in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay and a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter freestyle relay. This was Allison's first Olympics in which she competed without her best friend Michael Phelps.
However, Phelps was present in Tokyo during the Olympics as a primetime NBC correspondent. Allison termed her friend's presence as a "huge support system" when she spoke to the 'People' magazine.