"Curveballs that were thrown at them were crazy"- When Michael Phelps reflected on tough challenges Olympians faced in run-up to Tokyo due to COVID-19

Michael Phelps once reflected on the tough challenges Olympians faced due to the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The pandemic not only disrupted athletes' training schedules by another year of preparation but also severely affected their mental health.

In an interview with People.com in July 2021 ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Michael Phelps believed that another year of preparation is more challenging than beneficial. Although more time implied extra preparation, the delay added self-doubts and second-guessing which made it even more challenging to manage. He said:

“All of these curveballs that were thrown at them were crazy. We spend four years preparing for the Olympics so to add a year to that, you have more preparation but there's the voice in the back of your head that's second-guessing. It can be very challenging.”

He further expressed empathy for the Olympians, adding how he hoped that the athletes managed to stay focused and take care of themselves despite the challenges, saying:

“I was just praying that they were taking care of what they could, trying to stay on their routine as much as they could."

A month later following the conclusion of the Tokyo Olympics, Michael Phelps, however, had reasons to celebrate, with the United States topping the Swimming medal tally by winning 30 medals overall, including 11 gold, 10 silver, and 9 bronze. Australia was the second-best team in the edition as they collected 21 combined medals, consisting of 9 gold, 3 silver, and 9 bronze.

When Michael Phelps reflected on how he felt attending the 2021 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials as a viewer

Michael Phelps at the 2021 Olympic trials. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)

Michael Phelps opened up about the emotions he experienced while attending the 2020 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, which picked swimmers for Team USA’s squad for the Tokyo Olympics. This was the first time Phelps attended the trials as a spectator, having made his Olympic debut in Sydney in 2000 and retiring from swimming at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

On being asked how he felt about the atmosphere, Phelps shared his feelings about watching the event as a spectator in a press conference, saying:

“Personally, it was just awesome being here, feeling the energy from the crowd. For me, it was walking under the pool deck and I felt chills running up my body. I took Boomer [his son] up one of the stairs over here and I almost had to stop and just let everything sink in because it was semi-overwhelming. I had to take a lot of deep breaths. I felt the tears pretty much.” [0:08 onwards]

Phelps added:

“It's just that I haven't been live at one of these things in so long so being able to feel I guess the other side of it for the first time was overwhelming but in a very positive way.”

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Olympic Swimming trials were conducted in two waves, Wave I and II, to manage the number of participants and adhere to safety protocols. About 1543 swimmers gave their best for a spot in the USA’s Olympics team for Tokyo.