"It’s not my fault if they lost it" - When Michael Phelps opened up about facing a major blunder before competition

Michael Phelps once opened up about the moment he faced a major blunder before an important competition. Phelps was heading to Australia for a competition that had gathered massive anticipation following his lucrative contract with Speedo.

However, upon reaching Australia, Phelps realised he had lost his training gear for the second time. While he lost the gear once due to the airline, he admitted it was his fault the next time. In his memoir, 'Michael Phelps: Beneath the Surface,' originally published in 2004, the former swimmer reflected on the argument that followed between him and his longtime coach Bob Bowman after the incident.

“Bob, I can’t find it.” “Well, I guess we’re not here to train.” “Bob, it’s not my fault if they lost it.” In fact the first time the airline sent the bag to the wrong section; this time I left it on the plane."

Speaking about his arguments with coach Bowman, he said that although they have intense arguments, they move on quickly because they respect and trust each other.

"When Bob and I have our worst arguments— really intense, serious, how-did-you-get-to-be-such-a-knucklehead arguments—they’re over by the next day, sometimes by the next hour. We know we both want the same things and because he respects how hard I work, because I respect how much he knows, and because we both realize how much we need each other and can trust each other," Phelps added.

Michael Phelps once reflected on the moment he missed registering a 200m butterfly world record

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

Michael Phelps once opened up on the moment he nearly missed registering a world record in the 200m butterfly at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona. In the same memoir, he mentioned that he created a world record in the semifinal but missed the mark as he did not follow the coach's plan in the ultimate round.

"The best way to swim the 200 fly, we figured, was to go out fast and hold on. I did exactly what we talked about and broke the world record in the semis, lowering it to 1:53.93. I didn’t quite keep to the gameplan in the final, when I trailed Ukraine’s Denis Sylant’yev at the first two walls, but I took over the lead with 80 meters to go and won the race by over a second."

He added:

"I came back faster than I had ever done (59.08 over the last 100 meters) in that event. It was a lesson learned to listen to your coach because he knows what he’s talking about."

Michael Phelps recorded 1:53.93 in the semifinal round.