The Swan Song

Michael Phelps has impressed us to the end. Best swimmer in Olympic history, no doubt. And, it could be rightly claimed, maybe the greatest athlete to have competed in the Games.

His list of achievements is so long that the American is in a class by himself, above the other winners of multiple Olympic medals. In three Games, he amassed an incredible total of 22 medals. His harvest is all the more impressive as 18 of them are gold. How many decades will pass, how many Olympics will go by before another phenomenon — who is perhaps not yet born! — will come close to this level?

Yet, at the pinnacle of his career, Phelps decided to bow out. He repeated it ad nauseam in recent weeks, in front of skeptical journalists. The Kid from Baltimore, as he is nicknamed, who spent over half his life in a pool, has achieved all of his objectives: He has nothing to prove, he insisted. After all, there is life after sport.

For ordinary mortals, to retire at 27 years old is unthinkable. But world-class athletes are not like other people. They live life in fast-forward. Their entire existence is based on carefully planned training and competition. The sacrifices are enormous; injuries are often part of their daily lives, not to mention the enormous pressure with which the big stars, in particular, must contend.

Former Olympic champion Mark Spitz, who himself won seven gold medals at the Munich Games in 1972, believes that Phelps will not be able to resist coming out of retirement after two years of rest. Will the American record holder do as Andre Agassi did, and come out of retirement for Rio in 2016? He vows that he won’t, but he would not be the first to reverse his decision. True story: Four years ago, Andréanne Morin said farewell to rowing after teetering on the podium for the women’s eight in Beijing. Yet she will return from London with a silver medal around her neck.

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This weekend was also the swan song of Émilie Heymans. Although her fame did not compare to that of Michael Phelps, and she often performed in the shadow of her compatriot Alexandre Despatie, we should also honor the distinguished career of this diver from Quebec.

Émilie embodies excellence and determination. A few days ago, she became the first diver in the world, and the only Canadian athlete, male or female, to reach the podium in four consecutive Olympic Games. Even her 12th place yesterday, when the curtain fell on the three-meter springboard, cannot alter her impressive record.

Michael Phelps and Emilie Heymans have given us beautiful chills.