Getty Image / Maddie Meyer
Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympic athlete in history. He’s not only the greatest Team USA athlete or the greatest Summer Olympics athlete, he is the absolute G.O.A.T. when it comes to the Olympic Games and apparently thin-skinned Australian swimmer Cate Campbell couldn’t handle that.
Campbell is a legendary swimmer. She has 8 Olympic medals (Phelps has 28) and 4 gold medals (Phelps has 23). So she’s at least entitled to speak on other swimmers and teams given her successful career. But she ran her mouth about Team USA recently and it did not sit well with Phelps.
In a recent interview, Michael Phelps was nearly drawn out of retirement after she was shown a clip of her comments complaining about Team USA’s patriotism and saying she’s never wanted to punch anyone in the face more than the Team USA athletes. Phelps was asked how he’d have responded if he saw this prior to competition. Here is hte clip along with his quotes below.
@nbcolympics “I would make them eat every word they said about me.” Michael Phelps got FIRED UP about the USA vs. Australia swimming rivalry ahead of the ParisOlympics. #teamusa #swimming
Michael Phelps said: “I appreciate your comments Cate. (If) somebody said that to me, I would lose it. I would literally make them eat every word they just said about me. ‘Cause people have done it. Chad Le Clos? Thorpe? You guys have all talked s— about me and I had the last laugh. So for the Americans, if you see what I just saw … I would watch that thing every single day to give me that little extra bit of oomph.”
Phelps added “I hope we bang that cowbell louder than we ever have this summer.”
The over/under for Team USA’s gold medals at the Paris Olympics are 38.5. If our Team USA swimmers can find time to watch that clip before hitting the pool then I will be SMASHING the over.
By the way, this relay race is required viewing every year:
The single greatest Olympic moment I’ve ever witnessed live.