"Michael Phelps doesn’t outdo him yet" - When the legendary swimmer opened up on  Australian coach's biased comparison between him and Ian Thorpe

Michael Phelps once opened up about the biased comparison made by an Australian coach between him and Ian Thorpe. While Thorpe began his successful Olympic campaign at the 2000 Sydney Games, Phelps won his first medal at the 2004 Athens Games.

They both competed against each other in the 200m freestyle event at the Athens Games. Thorpe topped the race with 1:44.71 while Phelps followed him in third place with 1:45.32.

In his memoir, 'Michael Phelps: Beneath the Surface,' originally published in 2004, the former swimmer reflected on the unfair comparison drawn by the then-Australian coach Don Talbot, who said the Australian was better than the American swimmer and that Phelps hadn't outdone Thorpe yet.

"I felt great coming into Worlds, knowing that since the last ones in Montreal, I had accomplished the little things I needed to do to get better," Phelps wrote. "As if I needed more motivation, Australian coach Don Talbot, who usually has the words to provide some, told a Melbourne newspaper that Ian Thorpe’s accomplishments still outranked mine. 'Thorpe’s still number one in my opinion,' Talbot said. 'Phelps doesn’t outdo him yet.'"

Throughout their careers, Phelps and Thorpe earned 28 and nine Olympic medals, respectively.

Michael Phelps once opened up about how media engagements affected his training

Michael Phelps at the 2025 SheBelieves Cup at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Getty Images)

In the same memoir, Michael Phelps opened up about how his training was affected by constant media attention, which included him attending interviews, photo shoots, and coverage for major newspapers and TV channels.

As Phelps started achieving more success, he received numerous media engagement opportunities, which he realized were affecting his intense swimming schedule.

"We did cover shoots for Sports Illustrated, SI Kids and Time, and I gave long interviews to The New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune and USA Today. The local paper, The Baltimore Sun, was writing stories almost daily," Phelps wrote. "Even on a day I wouldn’t give interviews, there would be stories in the local papers and on the Baltimore TV stations. All along, we had to ask, “Was the media exposure adversely affecting my training?” he added.

To balance the increasing demands of media activities and his training, Michael Phelps created a scale of importance and only participated in high-profile activities. He also started scheduling his in the afternoon to avoid disturbances during training.

Edited by Samya Majumdar