Rio Olympics 2016: Michael Phelps claims his 23rd and last Olympic gold – and admits: ‘I’ve lived a dream come true’
MICHAEL PHELPS claimed his 23rd and last Olympic gold - and admitted: “I’ve lived a dream come true.”
The American legend, 31, revealed he is retiring from swimming following this morning’s 4x100 metre medley relay win.
Phelps has racked up five golds and one silver in Rio to take his overall Games tally to an all-time record of 28 medals.
And in an emotional press conference, he said: “This all started with one little dream as a kid to try and change the sport of swimming and do something nobody else has done.
“It is pretty cool. I’ve lived a dream come true.
“Being able to cap it off with these Games, it is so perfect.”
Phelps previously quit the sport after London 2012, but came back two years later because he did not feel fulfilled.
Yet this time he insists he is hanging up his goggles for good, with no chance of a return in Tokyo in 2020.
Phelps, who recently became a dad to baby boy Boomer, said: “I’m able to start the next chapter of my life.
“I’m retiring but I am not done with swimming. This is just the start of something new.
“This accomplishment, I can’t get my head around it. I’m at a loss for words. It is insane.”
He admitted: "Just walking into the pool tonight, everything started coming out, my emotions started surfacing.
“I started to get chocked up, thinking ‘This is it’.