"I always welcome trash-talking" - When Michael Phelps explained how he used to get fired up by other swimmers' pre-race tactics

Michael Phelps once revealed that he used to get fired up by when someone trash-talked him before a race. The American swimmer is the most decorated swimmer in Olympic history with a record 28 medals.

Phelps made his Olympic debut at the 2000 Games but failed to win any medals. He won a staggering eight medals, including six golds, at the next edition before winning a record eight gold medals in 2008.

While Phelps was rarely challenged by any swimmer in his career, he claims getting fired up by when someone trash-talked him.

"I always welcome trash-talking. I love it when people do it. I love them, they do certain things to just fire me up, so you know it's if I ever heard if somebody ever reads something I'm the first one to see it," Michael Phelps said in an interview with CNBC in 2018. [8:50 onwards]

Phelps however admitted that he knew he couldn't control others actions, thereby using the trash-talking as fuel.

"I mean for me at the end of the day when I was training, it was like as long as I figured out what I needed to do in order to accomplish my goals and dreams then that's all that mattered. Nothing else matters, everything else would just play out. I can't control what other people do," he added. [9:18 onwards]

Phelps broke an astonishing 39 world records in his career and was nearly unbeatable for the most part of it. However, all of his individual world record times have been beaten and only two relay records remain now.

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“It couldn't have gone to a better person”- Michael Phelps on Leon Marchand breaking his last individual record

Michael Phelps and Leon Marchand at the Olympic Games Paris 2024:- Source: Getty

Michael Phelps' last remaining indidual record was the 400m individual medley. This was broken in 2023 by the French swimmer Leon Marchand, who is coached by the American's long-time coach Bob Bowman. Speaking in an interview with Forbes in July 2024, Phelps admitted he didn't want it to get broken but was happy that it stayed in the "family" with Marchand and Bowman.

"To be honest, I was trying to hold it for 20 years. So I got there. I can say I hold the longest-standing swimming World Record. That’s something really cool...That was my last-standing individual World Record, but we're keeping it in the family with Bob and Léon. So it couldn't have gone to a better person," Phelps said.

Marchand also broke Phelps' Olympic record in the 400m individual medley at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Widely dubbed as the next Phelps, Marchand won four gold medals, two of which came in a span of 2 hours, and one bronze medal.