Speaker 1: It has been a headline grabbing few days for Michael Phelps,
Speaker 1: as the sport's greatest olympian once again found himself in
Speaker 1: the middle of USA Swimming's most public reckoning. According to
Speaker 1: coverage by Essentially Sports in aol, Phelps, along with fellow
Speaker 1: legend Ryan Lochtey, made waves on Instagram on August first,
Speaker 1: sharing and commenting on a striking image of a tombstone
Speaker 1: inscribed in loving memory of United States Swimming nineteen eighty
Speaker 1: dashed twoenty twenty five. The meme, reportedly created with AI,
Speaker 1: was posted at the height of Team USA's struggles at
Speaker 1: the twenty twenty five World Aquatics Championships, where illness derailed
Speaker 1: much of the roster and left the American team trailing expectations.
Speaker 1: Phelps didn't hold back, riding in his Instagram caption, is
Speaker 1: this the wake up call USA Swimming needed? Let's find out.
Speaker 1: Lochtee's post went viral, and the public frustration made major
Speaker 1: sports headlines. Rowdy Gaines, another swimming icon and NBC commentator,
Speaker 1: jumped in with public support for phel Helps, telling his
Speaker 1: followers to listen up when a twenty eight time medalist speaks.
Speaker 1: According to Swimming World magazine USA Swimming issued an official
Speaker 1: statement expressing disappointment at the legends timing and tone, but
Speaker 1: claimed they had reached out to Phelps and other alums
Speaker 1: inviting them into the fold. Acclaim Phelps directly refuted online,
Speaker 1: accusing the Federation of pushing him aside for years and
Speaker 1: publicly hoping for change. While these developments dominated Olympic and
Speaker 1: sports media, Phelps also took time for more reflective moments.
Speaker 1: On August ninth, Sports Kedah covered an emotional social media
Speaker 1: confession where Phelps shared an inspiring video montage and opened
Speaker 1: up about the relentless training and sacrifices behind his success,
Speaker 1: writing it starts with a dream followed by goals. No
Speaker 1: one sees what happens next, the blood, sweat and tears
Speaker 1: to accomplish your dream. Phelps also gave an interview on
Speaker 1: the Woop podcast, reiterating his winner's mentality and admitting he
Speaker 1: dissected every defeat to avoid ever missing the podium again.
Speaker 1: In lighter news, Phelps is set to appear at the
Speaker 1: Global Poker Goat after party Invasionall, hosting a Knockout Michael
Speaker 1: Phelps poker event on August tenth, as promoted through his
Speaker 1: Instagram and in a charming local story, Yahoo Sports and
Speaker 1: Marlin Humphrey highlighted Phelps replying to Baltimore Ravens player's social
Speaker 1: media call out for swim lessons, enthusiastically agreeing to help
Speaker 1: them in their new recovery pool, blending his local roots
Speaker 1: with his ongoing mission for swim education. Speculation exists about
Speaker 1: whether Phelps's public interventions might pressure leadership changes in USA
Speaker 1: swimming or open broader roles for former athletes, but so
Speaker 1: far there is no confirmation of official business or membership shifts.
Speaker 1: The overall tone across headlines in social media right now
Speaker 1: is that Phelps is the lightning rod for change in
Speaker 1: his sport as well as a still beloved ambassador for
Speaker 1: physical and mental wellness. And that is it for today.
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Speaker 1: an update on Michael Phelps. Thanks for listening. This has
Speaker 1: been a quiet police production