Michael Phelps certain Saturday's Olympic medley relay swim will be his last before retirement
By Andy Charles
Last Updated: 13/08/16 7:19am
Michael Phelps is insistent he will retire after what now seems likely to be his final Olympic Games swim on Saturday in Rio de Janeiro.
Phelps failed to win his 23rd Olympic gold medal on Friday when he was beaten into second by Singapore's Joseph Schooling in the final of the 100m butterfly.
The 31-year-old will compete for the United States in the 4x100m medley relay when the swimming competition ends on Saturday and he is certain it will be his last race, even if others try to persuade him to continue.
Even the sight of team-mate Anthony Ervin winning the 50m freestyle gold on Friday at the age of 35, 16 years after his victory in Sydney, will not persuade Phelps to go through another four-year Olympic cycle.
"No," he said as the question of continuing was still leaving a journalist's lips at a post-race press conference, a succession of further 'no's' following in close succession.
"Done. Chad (Le Clos) asked me in the award area and the Dwyers were chanting 'four more years'. They did the same thing in London. The 800 free relay guys said four more years ... No. I am NOT going four more years and I'm standing by that.
"I've been able to do everything I've ever put my mind to in this sport. And 24 years in the sport. I'm happy with how things finished."
"Being able to close the door on this sport how I want to, that's why I'm happy now," he added.
"I'm ready to retire. I'm happy about it. I'm in a better state of mind this time than I was four years ago. And yeah. I'm ready to spend some time with (baby son) Boomer and (fiancee) Nicole.
"No more. This is it. I said it a bunch before. But I'm not doing it. No more. I swore in London I wasn't coming back and this is final. Were the papers here, I'd sign them tomorrow."
