Phoenix--Michael Phelps is looking to the future and a possible fifth Olympics in Rio after emerging from treatment for alcohol addiction with renewed ardor for swimming and for life.
Looking forward to his first races in nearly eight months, the 29-year-old US superstar said Wednesday he knows he'll have to convince skeptics he has changed in the wake of the drunk-driving episode last September 30 in his native Baltimore.
"I of course would like to show everybody in the world that I am in a different place and I am much better than I ever have been," said Phelps, who is entered in five events in this week's meet in suburban Phoenix.
"I understand that's going to take a lot of time. This week will be the first week that I can start that."
At his trial in December, Phelps's lawyer said he had attended inpatient addiction treatment as well as Alcoholics Anonymous meetings.
"I did more growing up in the last eight months than I ever have in my life," Phelps said. "It's been some of the most challenging times of my life -- brutal."
But, he added, "I have been able to come out on a better end, have a clear head. I don't think I've ever been like this once in my life."
Bob Bowman said he had seen a real change in the swimmer he had coached since childhood.
Bowman shepherded Phelps to the pinnacle of the sport, masterminding his remarkable eight-gold campaign at the Beijing Games, part of an Olympic career that has yielded a staggering 18 golds among his 22 medals.
But Bowman has also weathered Phelps's periods of lackluster effort, notably in the build up to the 2012 London Games.
AFP
