Swimming - Olympics: Day 7 - Source: Getty — Michael Phelps once reflected on the overwhelming experience in Sydney Olympics. PHOTO: Getty

“I was a deer in headlights in my first Olympics”- When Michael Phelps reflected on overwhelming debut and being fueled to perform at 2004 Games

Modified Jan 25, 2025 22:30 GMT

Michael Phelps once reflected on the overwhelming experience of his Olympic debut at the 2000 Sydney Games. At the age of 15, Phelps competed in his first Olympic final in the men's 200m butterfly.

In an interaction with NBA star Chris Paul in April 2022, he reflected on feeling overwhelmed by being a part of the Olympic final at the Sydney Games. He also noted that given the event's grand setting, he had set his goal to swim one second faster in the Sydney Olympic finals than he did at the trials.

“I was a deer in headlights in my first Olympics, a 15-year-old kid, never traveled outside of the country. I'm here standing in an Olympic final. All I wanted to do was get one second faster than I did at trials,” Michael Phelps said. (4:00 onwards)

However, he exceeded his goal by swimming faster than he had expected, narrowly missing out on a medal-winning performance on debut. The close miss in Sydney fueled him leading into the Athens Olympics. Phelps further mentioned:

“I got 90, 98, 96/100ths faster and I was less than three-tenths out of a second from a medal and I wanted a medal. And that motivation from not medaling catapulted me into 2004.”

Four years later in Athens, Phelps emerged as the most successful athlete during that edition by collecting six gold and two bronze medals. Now the most decorated Olympian of all time, Phelps once spoke about his take on rivalry between the USA and Australia in swimming.

Michael Phelps weighed in on rivalry between USA and Australia swimmers

Michael Phelps at Rio Olympics 2016. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)

Michael Phelps expressed his thoughts on the rivalry between the United States and Australia in competitive swimming events. While he acknowledged that there is mutual respect among competitors, the competition is always fierce when swimmers are in the pool. In an interview with GQ in August 2024, he reflected on this rivalry, saying:

“You saw Ariarne [Titmus] and [Katie] Ledecky hugging each other after the 800m. When we're racing, we want to kill somebody. We want to literally beat anybody that is in that pool with us no matter where they're from. If it’s our country or not, we’re racing for a gold medal…So through the last 24 years, I think the rivalry between Australia and the USA, it's been incredible, right? It brings excitement to the sport.”

He also discussed during the interview how the rivalry in the pool doesn’t carry over outside of it, adding that he has maintained good relationships with his rivals and that they are friends away from the swimming pool. He further cited Ian Thorpe’s air guitar celebration as one of his most memorable moments and what made the rivalry special for him.