Michael Phelps caps career with historic 18th gold medal

By Paul Newberry

The Associated Press

LONDON -- The finale was a formality, more a coronation than a contest. Michael Phelps headed into retirement the only way imaginable -- with another gold medal.

Reclaiming the lead with the trademark butterfly stroke he first debuted in the Olympics as a 15-year-old in Sydney a dozen years ago, Phelps won the 18th gold of a mind-boggling career in the 4x100-meter medley relay Saturday.

"I've been able to do everything that I wanted," he said.

When it was done, Phelps hugged his teammates -- Matt Grevers, Brendan Hansen and Nathan Adrian -- before heading off the deck for the final time in his suit.

He waved to the crowd and smiled, clearly at peace with his decision to call it a career.

And what a career it was!

Phelps retires with twice as many golds as any other Olympian, and his total of 22 medals is easily the best mark, too.

He can be quite proud of his final Olympics as well, even though there were times he had trouble staying motivated after winning a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Games four years ago.

The 27-year-old could surely swim on for another Olympics, maybe two, but there's really no point.

"I told myself I never want to swim when I'm 30," Phelps said. "No offense to those people who are 30, but that was something I always said to myself, and that would be in three years. I just don't want to swim for those three years."

He hugged his longtime coach, Bob Bowman, who whispered three words that said it all, "I love you."

Their partnership was formed 16 years ago, when Bowman took a gangly, hyperactive kid with an extraordinary gift and helped turn him into a swimmer the likes of which the world had never seen.

"Bob and I have somehow managed to do every single thing," Phelps said. "If you can say that about your career, there's no need to move forward. Time for other things."

Bouncing back from a disappointing first race in London, a fourth-place finish in the 400 individual medley, Phelps wound up with more medals than any other swimmer at the games: four golds and two silvers.

Sounds familiar.

"Honestly, the first race kind of took the pressure off," Bowman said. "If it's not going to go too well, we should at least have fun while we're here."

The U.S. men had never lost the medley relay at the Olympics, and they weren't about to now on the final night of swimming at the Olympic Aquatics Centre, on the final night for such a momentous athlete.

The governing body of swimming, FINA, summoned Phelps back to the deck for one more award -- a silver trophy commemorating his standing as the most decorated Olympian ever.

Then, as if 22 medal ceremonies over the past three Olympics weren't enough, Phelps made one more victory lap around the pool, even stopping off at the podium, climbing to the top step again and posing with his final award.

Phelps kept a journal during his final Olympics. He was asked what he would write on this day.

"I could probably sum it up in a couple words -- I did it," he said.

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