Swimming superstar Michael Phelps says anyone that beats him by wearing a faster swimsuit in Rome is only going to make him "10 times hungrier" for revenge.
Phelps will honour his long-standing and lucrative endorsement deal with Speedo at the FINA world championships starting on Sunday by wearing the LZR suit and not changing to the 2009 new-generation options made with full polyurethane.
The greatest Olympian in history has already proven he is up to the challenge he faces in Rome by setting a new 100m butterfly world record at the US trials earlier this month.
However his new mark of 50.22 seconds is under attack with rivals, including Australia's Andrew Lauterstein, predicting a sub-50 second swim will be required to take the gold medal at the Foro Italico.
Phelps said he only worries about his own performance when racing, but added losses always inspire him to greater heights in the future.
"I like to win no matter what," said Phelps.
"If I have a race that I want to have and someone else swims faster, then so be it.
"That will just make me ten times hungrier to not let it happen again.
"That's what I've done in the past and I'm sure when it happens I will do the same thing again."
Phelps enters the world championships with a reduced workload - only six events as opposed to eight that he won gold in in Beijing last year - and carrying a neck injury.
The neck complaint forced him out of the 100m freestyle final at US trials and Phelps says the issue remains, refuting a suggestion by Italy's world champion Filippi Magnini that the American star backed away knowing he wouldn't win in Rome.
"I still have a neck problem," he said,.
"My neck was never an excuse as it was in the paper by another athlete. I'm never afraid to swim any event.
"The doctor didn't want me to put pressure on my neck and possibly jeopardise my immediate future."
Phelps will race only the 200m freestyle, 100m and 200m butterfly in Rome, plus three relays.
He has dropped the individual medley events from his program.
He says he is in superb shape for the meet after overcoming the most difficult year of growing up post-Beijing when photographs emerged of him smoking marijuana in a university dorm room.
Coach Bob Bowman joked Phelps "still acts like a 15-year-old" during their Friday press conference which drew 20 television cameras and more than 100 journalists.
"It's been a long year," said Phelps.
"A lot of high points and a lot of low points.It's been a real learning year both in and out of the pool."
No comments:
Post a Comment