Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian of all time with 28 Olympic medals, recently expressed his disappointment with Team USA's performance in swimming at the Paris Games. Despite acknowledging a few standout swims, Phelps admitted to being 'pretty disappointed' with the overall results.
One of the performances that stood out to Phelps was Bobby Finke's gold medal win in the 1500m freestyle, which he described as 'one of the greatest swims' of the Paris Games, giving him 'chills' to talk about it.
Team USA secured a total of 28 swimming medals in Paris, comprising eight golds, 13 silvers, and seven bronzes. In contrast, Phelps himself accumulated 28 Olympic medals across five Games, including 23 golds, three silvers, and two bronzes.
Phelps attributed the decline in American swimming results to the stagnation of the US swimming program compared to the evolving competition from other countries. He emphasized that the rest of the world is catching up and highlighted the need for the US to adapt to the changing landscape of international swimming.
Looking ahead to the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, Phelps expressed hope that Team USA would be able to make the necessary adjustments to regain its competitive edge and perform at a higher level. He emphasized the importance of transitioning and evolving the US swimming program to meet the challenges posed by the improving standards of global competition.
