2016 Olympics Swimming Trials Start June 26 and Michael Phelps Is Feeling Confident – The Schedule, TV Broadcast and Live Streaming Webcast Info.
Michael Phelps is eyeing the 2016 Rio Olympics. Together with his longtime coach, Bob Bowman, the super-star, gold-medalist has been training for the upcoming U.S. Olympic swimming trials that begin late June in Omaha, Nebraska.
Phelps affirms that Rio will be his last. Now 30, many people could question whether his age has any effect in his performance and whether he can recapture the glorious speed and results that wow'd everyone in 2008 and 2012.
Back to 2007-2008 Form and Confidence
Get Our Latest News for FREE
However, Phelps recently revealed how he felt about his swimming these days and especially after the nationals in August last year.
"Did I ever think I'd be back to that level? No," Phelps said in reference to his current performance compared to 2008 according to Nicole Auerback of USA Today Sports. "But I think after last summer, after that little surprise — the first race at nationals (a 1:52.94 to win the 200 fly, his best time since breaking the world record in a high-tech suit six years before) — after that, I was like, 'This is for real again.' That was something I missed because it had been so long since I've felt that way."
If Phelps does indeed feel and perform the way he did back in 2008, then many swimmers aspiring for a gold-medal in Rio and are reading this should be, at the minimum, concerned.
As ESPN puts it, his 1:52:04 to win the 200 fly "would have been enough for gold at 2012 London Olympics where he finished second behind Chad le Clos' time of 1:52.96. It would have been good enough to win at this year's world championships in Kazan, Russia, where Hungary's Laszlo Cseh took the title in 1:53.48."
Defying all expectations it seems that Phelps just gets better with time. This is something that we will have to wait and witness when the Olympics swimming events start on August 5 and culminate the 21st.
U.S. Olympics Trials Schedule, TV Broadcast Info and Live Streaming
The swimming trials in Omaha will begin on June 26 and end July 3. The official schedule can be found at this link. NBC Sports will be broadcasting the via TV and Webcast. Find the info here.
18 Gold, 2 Silver, 2 Bronze
Phelps possesses a jaw-dropping collection of 18 gold medals – the most ever earned by a single athlete.
The most decorated Olympian of all time announced he was returning to professional swimming back in April 2014, less than two years after announcing his retirement post London games.
