Once again, Michael Phelps has dominated the Olympic Games, remaining the most-decorated Olympian in history, who got his start at the age of seven and moved forward with a daily regime of 10,000 calories and endless hours of training. Phelps was destined for greatness based on this mix of natural born talent and order, yet his pathway since the 2012 London Olympics and onward has been rocky... to an extent that Rio may not have been a possibility.
The impossibility of Rio was based on Phelps' retirement; as he left the pool in 2012, he declared that he was done. Many fans and critics were skeptical, but Phelps knew that this was it. Constantly living under the scrutiny of the public eye was enough for Phelps and self-destruction was becoming imminent.
The former athlete who was pictured on Wheaties boxes would soon become featured on the nightly news in form of a mugshot when he received his second DUI in 2014, as he was driving under the influence, marked by a blood alcohol content level that was about twice the legal limit. Prior to this incident, a photo had surfaced of him taking hits of marijuana from a bong. Both occurrences were not received well by his then former coaches and the world alike, yet Phelps had finally been able to let go of the strict realities of his heavily publicized life.
The destruction did come and a solution was needed. Phelps checked himself into rehab, as he explained that he was at his lowest point of his life - a point that he would not wish on anyone. Phelps went into more details in an interview with Bob Costas, as being times of which resembled and included thoughts of suicide. Phelps said that he knew the pain that he would inflict on those around him would be too much for him to bear, so he jumped back into the pool, he began to train again and to find the purpose he once had lost.
A new purpose that Phelps found came from starting a family with his fianceé, Nicole Johnson, former Miss California. The two found joy and love in their son, Boomer, who is now just a few months old and capturing the hearts with his American flag shorts and gold booties. Phelps notes that Boomer brings him the most happiness. Phelps seems to have gained power again through the presence of Boomer, as he has brought both joy and purpose to his life.
For those of us who are Marylanders, our love for Phelps has lasted the winds of time, change as some of you may call it. Maryland was and has always been his home, allowing for our allegiance to reign strong. Which doesn't make it unbelievable that after the recent events in Rio, Phelps is still on top.
It seems that past his trials and tribulations, past his struggles, he has remained supreme - something that you do not see everyday. Other athletes fall off the wayside when something hits the news stands; they are then destined to be thought of as old news, but Phelps found his resiliency, he found that not all that glitters is gold...well, besides the 23 Olympic gold medals he owns.
