nlike Beijing four years ago, Michael Phelps is going to have to share the swimming spotlight at the London Olympics.
There will be no record gold medal haul this time and there is the chance he might even lose a race or two but for the American and his fellow competitors, that's a cause for celebration, rather than distress.
Phelps might slice through the water as smoothly as a dolphin and possess the same predatory instincts of a killer shark, but in 2008, he may as well have been living in a tiny fish bowl.
His incredible performance in winning an unprecedented eight gold medals ensured that he was the single most scrutinised competitor at the Olympics, but the pressure was suffocating.
He will still be under the microscope when the world's best swimmers turn the London Aquatics Centre into their own golden pond but the expectations on him have all but evaporated and his relief is obvious.
He has already declared that he will retire after London and by reducing his schedule, albeit from eight to seven events, the 27-year-old has ensured his Olympic farewell will be a deserving lap of honour rather than his coronation.
There will be no record gold medal haul this time and there is the chance he might even lose a race or two but for the American and his fellow competitors, that's a cause for celebration, rather than distress.
Phelps might slice through the water as smoothly as a dolphin and possess the same predatory instincts of a killer shark, but in 2008, he may as well have been living in a tiny fish bowl.
His incredible performance in winning an unprecedented eight gold medals ensured that he was the single most scrutinised competitor at the Olympics, but the pressure was suffocating.
He will still be under the microscope when the world's best swimmers turn the London Aquatics Centre into their own golden pond but the expectations on him have all but evaporated and his relief is obvious.
He has already declared that he will retire after London and by reducing his schedule, albeit from eight to seven events, the 27-year-old has ensured his Olympic farewell will be a deserving lap of honour rather than his coronation.
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