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Phelps is bored.


cruiser647
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Can anyone think of an example of a great sportsman retiring having a hiatus and the returning to compete at anything like the same level? There must be some, (Kim Clijsters?), but 99/100 this seems to be a disastrous move (Thorpe, Armstrong, Schumacher, etc.)

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I dispute Armstrong ever being a 'great sportsman'.  Epic cheat through and through.  He was never anything like a sportsman.  I watched the movie/documentary about him recently and the man is lower than the lowest. 

 

George Foreman immediately springs it mind for one of the greatest ever comebacks from retirement - after 10 years.

 

He became the oldest ever world heavyweight champion when he regained the title at 45 years old.

 

Muhammed Ali was out of boxing for 6 years for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War.  That was 6 years without a single competitive fight and what was, in reality, enforced temporary retirement.  And he went on to become the greatest boxer and sportsman of all time (in my opinion).

 

Alex Zanardi made quite a comeback too....

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Sugar Ray Leonard was never the same when making a comeback.

 

 

Thinking about Phelps, (and other sports bods), they train 6, 7 or so hrs a day.  Unless they can get a coaching job or punditry gig, then it will leave a huge hole in their lives.   Unless they have another plan with other work.

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  • 2 weeks later...

He's 28... That's insanely young to achieve what he has and to suddenly feel empty, that that's it as such. Where to go now, what to do, he doesn't need the money, life might just feel a bit hollow.

 

In most sports it might be insanely young, but not in swimming.

 

The last Olympics stats have now been built into world swimming stats and it shows that the average age of gold medallists is 20 years and 1 month old.

 

...and that 96% of those over 26 years old finish outside of the medals.

 

It has become a very young persons sport.

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He's put on 3 stone since stopping competitive swimming!  I think he has still been eating his 10,000 calories a day!

 

I don't know if these sportsmen/women keep their coaches to help with the transition out of the sport?

 

This is incredibly common. I have case studies right now on my desk on this very thing. It's really dificult to maintain exercise routine when there's no extrinsic motivation, but your body still craves the diet. it's where the misconception muscle turns to fat comes from. In actual fact they are simply losing muscle and gaining fat.

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In most sports it might be insanely young, but not in swimming.

 

The last Olympics stats have now been built into world swimming stats and it shows that the average age of gold medallists is 20 years and 1 month old.

 

...and that 96% of those over 26 years old finish outside of the medals.

 

It has become a very young persons sport.

 

 

I wasn't talking about specifically related to swimming, just that at 28 you must feel a bit lost to think your career and achievements are already all behind you.

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