"I'm not going four more years" - When Michael Phelps opened up about losing to Joseph Schooling and retiring from the sport

Michael Phelps once opened up about retiring from the sport following the 2016 Rio Olympics and losing to Joseph Schooling. Phelps competed in his career's last individual race in the men's 100m butterfly at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Phelps had enjoyed a successful run at the Olympics, having collected 22 gold medals till then. Despite being the fan favorite to dominate the race, Phelps struggled to clinch the top position. The legendary swimmer was defeated by then-21-year-old Singapore's swimmer Joseph Schooling, who once posed for a picture with the former American swimmer as a 13-year-old in 2008.

While Schooling led the 100m butterfly event at the 2016 Rio Olympics with an Olympic record of 50.39 seconds, Phelps settled in second place with 51.14 seconds. Phelps, who had announced his retirement after the 2012 London Olympics only to come out of it the next year, officially hung up his swim cap after the 2016 Rio edition. In an interview with NBC News after his last Olympics, Phelps shared his satisfaction with his career while highlighting that he has achieved all the goals he put his mind to.

"I'm not going four more years and I'm standing by that," he said. "I've been able to do everything I've ever put my mind to in the sport and after 24 years in the sport, I'm happy with how things finished."

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"This is the way I wanted to finish my career" - When Michael Phelps reflected on the emotions right before his last race

Michael Phelps of the United States during the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Getty Images)

Following the last individual race (100m butterfly at the 2016 Rio Olympics), Michael Phelps competed in his career's concluding race at the Rio Games by competing in the men's 4x100 medley relay. He participated in the race alongside Ryan Murphy, Cody Miller, and Nathan Adrian to collect his 23rd Olympic gold medal. The former swimmer reflected on the emotions he felt before the race in an interview with telegraphindia.com in 2016.

"I walked to the pool on Saturday night and I almost felt like crying - the last warm-up, the last time putting on a suit, the last time walking out in front of thousands of people representing my country," Phelps said. "This is the way I wanted to finish my career."

The American team dominated the race with an Olympic record of 3:27.95 minutes.