"I don't really live a normal life" - When 15-year-old Michael Phelps revealed what it was like being an Olympian at such a young age

By Viransh Shah

Modified May 17, 2024 02:43 GMT

Michael Phelps has set a benchmark for athletes across various sports, not just to excel there, but sheerly dominate to redefine supremacy. His career transcended with rigorous training day in and day out, working up to his neck to perfection his laps.

Phelps, who started swimming at the age of seven, covering 100 miles per week, reaped rewards for his determination and consistency. In August 2016, the American swim stalwart retired as the most decorated Olympian athlete.

The Baltimore native accounted for 28 Olympic medals, including 23 gold, in five editions from 2000 to 2016. Michael Phelps made his first appearance at the 2020 Sydney Olympics and became the youngest male swimmer from the USA at 15 in 68 years, though he didn't win any medal in that edition.

Almost a year after the Sydney Olympics, 15-year-old Phelps said in a video interview with a publication that he doesn't live a teenager-esque life, as posted by The Independent in 2016, he said:

"I don't really live a normal life as a teenager. I guess I gave up a lot of things, but I'm getting tons of other things normal 15-year-olds aren't getting. So I think this is the life that anyone could dream of. I'm definitely loving it."

If a layman learns that Phelps once desired to win a gold medal in the Athens Olympics, he would be amazed to know that the 'Baltimore Bullet' ended up bagging six gold medals just four years after a medal-less debut in Sydney.

"I guess my long-term goal is to win the gold medal in Athens, and go on more than one event. I have a lot of goals, but I think that I just want to take it day by day," Phelps said after Sydney Olympics' experience.

How many medals Michael Phelps won in Olympics in total?

American legendary swimmer Michael Phelps made his debut in the 2000 Sydney Olympics but didn't return with any medals. He won eight medals in the Athen Olympics in 2004, including six gold medals.

In the following Summer Olympics in Beijing, the Flying Fish bettered the record of seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics in 1972. Phelps won gold medals in all of his eight events in the 2008 Olympics.

He grabbed four gold medals and two silver at the 2012 London Olympics, though he finished fourth in 400m Individual Medley. In his last appearance in the quadrennial showpiece in the 2016 Rio Games, Phelps finished with five gold medals and a silver, taking his tally to 23 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze.