{"id":23084,"date":"2016-03-09T09:06:28","date_gmt":"2016-03-09T17:06:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spijue.wpengine.com\/news\/phelps-wont-let-age-hinder-his-goal-to-medal-at-rio-games\/"},"modified":"2016-03-09T09:06:28","modified_gmt":"2016-03-09T17:06:28","slug":"phelps-wont-let-age-hinder-his-goal-to-medal-at-rio-games","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/news\/phelps-wont-let-age-hinder-his-goal-to-medal-at-rio-games\/","title":{"rendered":"Phelps won’t let age hinder his goal to medal at Rio Games"},"content":{"rendered":"

BALTIMORE<\/strong> \u2014 Michael Phelps adheres to a strict diet, is adamant about getting a good night\u2019s sleep and spends more time at the gym than ever before.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s what happens when you turn 30 and still feel the need to make a splash at the Olympics.<\/p>\n

Phelps has won a record 18 gold medals, and 22 medals overall, in three Olympics. He long ago made good on his quest to bring swimming into the national limelight, and now he\u2019s in the midst of one final push that will test his mettle and conditioning.<\/p>\n

Phelps intends to leave nothing to chance in his preparation for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m on top of this more than I ever have before because I\u2019m 30 now,\u201d Phelps said Tuesday. \u201cMy body\u2019s not the same it was five years ago, 10 years ago. When I decided to come back, I knew I was going to do it the right way and be able to retire the way I want to retire.\u201d<\/p>\n

That will require far more effort than he put forth in 2004 in Athens, 2008 in Beijing and 2012 in London.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think this is me giving 100 percent. It\u2019s really weird to say this, but I don\u2019t know besides 2000 the last time I gave 100 percent \u2014 the max,\u201d Phelps said. \u201cI broke my wrist six months before the Olympic trials in \u201808. In 2012, the preparation wasn\u2019t the best that it could have been, and I take full blame for that. So there\u2019s always been something.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phelps was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in 2004 and 2014. He has sworn off alcohol at least until after the Olympics, and those massive breakfasts he once enjoyed are apparently also a thing of the past.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am eating just to maintain a weight, trying to stay between 200 and 205 pounds. I think that\u2019s kind of my ideal fighting weight,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery now and then I take what I want, but I don\u2019t go too overboard on sweets or inappropriate fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The result?<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m more relaxed in my own skin than I\u2019ve ever been. I\u2019m happier than I\u2019ve ever been,\u201d Phelps said.<\/p>\n

His trainer, Keenan Robinson, believes Phelps is doing exactly what\u2019s needed for him to be successful in Rio.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat he\u2019s done this past year and a half is remarkable,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cIt\u2019s not like he just shows up, falls in the water and medals fall out of the sky. From my standpoint, he\u2019s on track, he\u2019s on pace. Our focus going in was to make sure no stone was unturned.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phelps said he\u2019s far more focused on success this time around than in London four years ago.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt that point, it was clear I wasn\u2019t really fully engaged in what I was doing. I wasn\u2019t preparing myself for the goals that I have,\u201d he said. \u201cThe goals I have this summer are very lofty. Don\u2019t ask what they are because I won\u2019t tell you. But I know to be able to achieve those goals I have to be 100 percent. That\u2019s what gets me out of bed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Although Phelps has been making some sacrifices since he was a teenager, he wouldn\u2019t have it any other way.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid I miss some Friday nights hanging out with friends in high school? Yeah, but I\u2019ve also had the chance to become the most decorated Olympian of all time,\u201d Phelps said. \u201cI\u2019ve been able to do everything I wanted to do, and this year is something I\u2019m looking forward to and very excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n

Phelps and his fianc\u00e9, Nicole Johnson, live in Arizona. Phelps took a break from the pool to return to his native Baltimore on Tuesday to help Under Armour launch a new ad campaign. The centerpiece of the campaign is a 90-second spot that depicts Phelps\u2019 exhaustive training regimen.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt really is who I am and what I do,\u201d Phelps said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

BALTIMORE \u2014 Michael Phelps adheres to a strict diet, is adamant about getting a good night\u2019s sleep and spends more time at the gym than ever before. That\u2019s what happens when you turn 30 and still feel the need to make a splash at the Olympics. Phelps has won a record 18 gold medals, and […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":107,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":4,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-23084","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23084","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/107"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23084"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23084\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23084"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23084"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23084"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=23084"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}