Michael Phelps is no longer going to stay quiet about the state of swimming in the United States. The legendary Olympian will not adhere to the request of Team USA.
He refuses to wear a muzzle.
Phelps and Ryan Lochte caused quite the stir during the World Championships of swimming. Their public airing of grievances led a number of American athletes to express their frustration with the criticism.
How did Team USA fare at the World Championships?
The United States actually came out on top in Singapore. Team USA won the medal table over Australia by nine medals and finished with one more gold medal.
However, those numbers still fell short of the expectation.
The American side did not win a single gold medal through the first five relays of the meet. The mixed 400 medley team missed out on the final all together.
At that point, Phelps and Lochte formally declared United States Swimming as dead. They “set the bar high— until they stopped reaching for it.” Rest in peace.
“Call it a funeral, or call it a fresh start. We’ve got three years,” they both posted.
It was the most public criticism to date from a six-time Olympic gold medalist and the greatest to ever do it. It ruffled a lot of feathers.
American swimmers fired back.
Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte expressed their shared opinion after the first few days of competition at the World Championships. Gretchen Walsh, a double champion, was the first athlete to respond.
She essentially told them to check their attitude at the door because they don’t know about what was going on behind the scenes. The “overwhelming majority” of Team USA was ravaged by a bad case of acute gastroenteritis during its pre-championships camp in Thailand. Some of them were forced to withdraw from certain events all together. Others did not feel well during their races.
Lilly King also shared her thoughts after a strong final night for the Americans. The 28-year-old was a lot more sassy than Walsh with her response to the legends.
King ultimately announced her retirement at the meet after a fifth-place finish in the 50-meter breaststroke. That was the final race of her career.
Michael Phelps will not stay quiet.
Lilly King’s post made its way back to Phelps. He responded accordingly.
Although the United States won the medal table and the most golds, the greatest of all-time does not excuse the disappointing start to the meet. Never settle.
Phelps turned his aim toward the leadership group at Team USA, who apparently tried to silence him.
“We should be so proud of how the team swam as a whole …. Right? Apologies for having higher expectations for the leadership of the team. My opinions were way off. USAS has what they finally want, me to ‘stay in my lane.’ They will continue to help the kids reach childhood dreams by their continued support 😳,” he posted in response to King.
Although I cannot say for certain, it sounds to me like this is an ongoing back-and-forth between United States swimming and Michael Phelps. His comment makes it seem like they have been trying to keep him quiet for years. He is no longer going to listen. It is time to say what he wants to say without remorse.