Michael Phelps says he will retire after London Olympics

CNN ^

[Perdogg]

U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps says he'll make one more push in the pool at the Olympics in London this summer, but after that he's hanging up his Speedo.

Phelps told Anderson Cooper in an interview on "60 Minutes" on Sunday that while it took him quite some time to get back into training for London, he's ready to go for the gold again. If he can get three medals during the Summer Olympics he will be able to retire as the athlete with the most Olympic career medals.

[KarlInOhio]

I didn't see 60 Minutes. Did he say how well he is doing and what his times are like? I don't know what the typical age swimmers hit their peak, so I don't know if he has a reasonable chance for gold or if he's going to be the old man in the pool trying not to drown.

[cport]

When asked what he willdo after retirement,Phelps stated “I would like to become a gentleman farmer...”

[RikaStrom]

I did watch it, they said he’s doing the speeds he did at the prior olympics, and his coach placed him at a ranking of 9 on a scale of 1 to 10. (With him being a 2, this time last year).

He did sort of give off the impression (or at least to me), that he wasn’t enthused about these olympics.

What I would like to know, is that did he have a plug of tobacco in his lip the entire interview? I swear it look that way.

[Puppage]

[Talisker]

He did sort of give off the impression (or at least to me), that he wasn’t enthused about these olympics.

He probably agreed to compete in them when he signed his endorsement contracts from four years ago. Now, he's not so thrilled.

[july4thfreedomfoundation]

CBS mentioned that Phelps has earned $40 million from endorsements thus far.

His mom said she would like him to compete in at least one event in Rio de Janeiro in 2016 (I think she mentioned the 50 meter heat....not sure). Phelps sounded like he was determined to retire after the London games.

He said he wants to see the world. Phelps complained that he’s been to many countries, but all he every sees are his hotel and the swimming pool.

[JimWayne]

Given the fact that he is 27, he is probably past his peak. So it is a great decision! Very few sportsmen quit when they are ahead. This guy seems to know when to leave.