"For so long, my head was staring at a black line" - When Michael Phelps reflected on what led to his first retirement from swimming in 2012

Michael Phelps once reflected on his decision to retire from competitive swimming for the first time after the 2012 London Olympics. He shared that although he had announced his retirement from the sport in 2012, he saw it more as a break.

Phelps then opened up on the reason behind the decision, sharing that he had spent so much of his life swimming that he wasn't able to focus on anything else, which made him want to experience life outside the sport.

During his appearance on the Bloomberg Talks podcast in April 2022, NBA star Chris Paul asked him why he didn’t retire, despite experiencing moments when he wanted to quit. Reflecting on what kept him going and what led to his first retirement after the London Olympics, Michael Phelps said (7:51 onwards):

“The fuel that was inside of me. I mean, for me, in 2012 when I retired, it was more of a break than anything else because for so long, my head was staring at a black line and I couldn't do anything else. I was never a kid. And so I wanted to find out what being a kid was like.”

Phelps further shared why he couldn’t fully step away since a part of him still felt connected to the sport. Michael Phelps added:

“So, I think at that point, for me to have that kind of growing-up process and see a little bit on my own, learn a little bit on my own, I just couldn't walk away. I didn't want to walk away."

After his initial retirement, the American swimmer returned to competitive swimming in 2014 before finally quitting at the 2016 Rio Olympics. At the end of the Games in Rio, he retired as the most decorated Olympian of all time, with 23 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze medals.

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Michael Phelps addressed whether he will be back to competitions

Michael Phelps (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images)

Michael Phelps ruled out any chance of a comeback to the sport in an interview with GQ Australia in August 2024. Although he admitted that he missed the feeling of competing and standing on the podium, Phelps said he no longer had the ‘desire’ to return. During the interview, he stated:

“Somebody asked me in the other room [at the time of Paris Olympics], I guess there's a rumor that I'm coming back. Have you guys ever heard that? Have I said anything like that? No, I haven’t. But for me, I have no desire. So it's fun for me just to watch these athletes.”

Phelps also spoke about how he has kept himself engaged in other activities beyond swimming, like playing golf, which shows his competitive nature.

Notably, during the Paris Olympics, Phelps attended the quadrennial games not as an athlete but as a spectator with his family as they cheered on Team USA across multiple disciplines.