The 28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps travels to Tokyo - but not for swimming

Michael Phelps

The 28-time Olympic medalist Michael Phelps travels to Tokyo - but not for swimming

For 16 years, when sports fans participated in the Summer Olympics, they would only see Michael Phelps. A great swimmer all the time diving in pools in Sydney, Athens, London, and Rio.

At 36, he has transcended what is considered the highlight of his sport. Michael previously retired after the 2012 competition in London, only to make an overwhelming and impressive comeback four years later, posting some of the fastest relay splits ever.

When I spoke to Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on this week's Today show, the swimming legend flirted with the prospect of one day returning to compete.

"My wife said to Lester [Hoult] in [2016], back in Rio, that if I went back, she would be in L.A.," he recalls, referring to the Los Angeles Olympics, scheduled for 2028.

"I'm not going back now! I don't get any ideas," he said sarcastically at first, before saying "I don't know" and sharing what might change his mind.

"I'm pleased," the sons' father, Bomer, 5, Beckett, 3, and Maverick, 1, said of his current situation. My kids love water. ... If at some point, my boys ask when I'm going or why I don't compete, we'll see what the answer is."

While Michael appears to be ditching racing swimwear for good at the moment, he hasn't quit the sport altogether.

Where is Michael Phelps now in 2021?

It wouldn't be the Summer Olympics without Michael, and this time he's helping out at the broadcast booth instead of jumping off blocks. Michael joins Dan Hicks and Rowdy Gaines as NBC's prime-time correspondent for select swim races this month. It's the first Summer Olympics he hasn't participated in 20 years, so he brings a wealth of insider knowledge.

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