"Talk about the world's greatest Olympian" - Michigan football team coach lauds Michael Phelps' talk with his team
Michael Phelps is one of the greatest swimmers the world has ever seen. His legendary career will be spoken about for years to come. Phelps won 28 Olympic medals in his career before his retirement in 2016 post the Rio Olympics.
On August 17, 2022, Michigan Wolverines coach Jim Harbaugh told the media via Maize N Brew that Michael Phelps spoke with his team ahead of the competitive season. Phelps talked about the importance of recovery and how simple it is to achieve it.
Harbaugh appreciated Phelps for his advice and said:
“I really appreciate Michael Phelps for really embedding that in my mind and in our players' minds. Talk about the world’s greatest Olympian, arguably. No question about swimming, the most medals of anybody. That was huge. It was a good message right at the right time to keep our team focused and on track, and as healthy as can be.”
The Michigan Wolverines coach termed Phelps's message to his team as the correct one at the right moment. He stated that the message will keep his team focused and healthy. Harbaugh explained the speech given by the GOAT Olympian.
Harbaugh said:
"The thing that just continues to ring in my ear and head from that talk—crystal clear he told us how he couldn't wait to get into 105 pounds of ice waiting for him in a bath that was gonna be the thing he did right after he got done with talking to our team."
The coach explained that Phelps said he was going to take an ice bath after giving a speech to the Michigan Wolverines Team.
Jim continued:
"He talked about sleep, he talked about hydration, water. Somebody that could go anywhere in the world, do any kind of treatment known to mankind—Ice, sleep, and hydration with water."
The Michigan Wolverines coach termed Phelps' speech as critical to his team as they wanted to focus on conditioning and health before entering the season.
Michael Phelps has been associated with the University of Michigan in the past. Bob Bowman was appointed as the head coach for the University of Michigan after the 2004 Summer Olympics. Since his coach joined Michigan, Phelps joined him there and attended classes for over a span of four years.
The GOAT Olympian didn't pursue a degree, but he served as a volunteer assistant coach at Michigan. Phelps returned to Baltimore when Bob was appointed as the CEO of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club after the 2008 Summer Olympics.
During his time at Michigan in 2005, the champion swimmer posed at the bottom of the University of Michigan pool for Sports Illustrated on Campus Magazine.
How many medals did Michael Phelps win when he was at Michigan?
Michael Phelps won eight Olympic gold medals during his time at Michigan. He competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and won a record eight gold medals.
The GOAT Olympian won gold medals in the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter medley, 400-meter medley, 4x100-meter freestyle, 4x200-meter freestyle, and 4x100-meter medley events.
Apart from the Olympics, Phelps competed in the Long Course World Championships in 2005 and 2007 held in Montreal and Melbourne. During the 2005 World Championships, he clinched five gold medals and one silver medal. At the 2007 World Championships, Phelps claimed seven gold medals.
Michael Phelps also competed at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, where he clinched five gold medals and one silver medal.