"The last 10 meters wasn't fun" - When Michael Phelps opened up about his hard-fought redemption victory at the Rio Olympics

Michael Phelps once opened up about his hard-earned victory in the 200m butterfly event at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where he concluded his swimming career. At the same Olympics, he collected his fourth consecutive Olympic medal and third gold medal in the 200m butterfly event.

The legendary swimmer missed out on gold to South Africa's Chad le Clos at the 200m butterfly event in the 2012 London Games. Gunning for redemption, Phelps lined up against Japan's Masato Sakai and Le Clos, who fought hard until the final few meters of the race, four years later. Although Le Clos led the race with a perfect start, Phelps won with a time of 1:53.36, only 0.04 seconds ahead of Sakai.

In a 2016 interview with Business Standard, Phelps reflected on the race and stated he was determined to win the event.

"This is a race that I really wanted," Phelps said. "I really wanted that one back. Tonight I came in the pool with a mission and the mission was accomplished. There wasn't a chance in hell I would lose that tonight and if I did every ounce of energy would have been left in the pool."

"The last 10 meters wasn't fun. I felt like I was standing still," Phelps added. "Just to see my name beside the 200m fly again... I couldn't have scripted it better. The event was my bread and butter. Having that come to an end is weird. It's crazy to think about."

Michael Phelps became the oldest male swimmer to bag an individual Olympic gold medal in the event and the first swimmer to top the same individual event at four consecutive Olympics.

Michael Phelps once opened up about his retirement

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

Michael Phelps once expressed his satisfaction with his illustrious swimming career. He competed in his last race at the 2016 Rio Olympics, securing six medals. He stated his pride in having ended his career with no regrets.

“I’ve been able to do everything I ever put my mind to [doing] in the sport,” Phelps said (via time.com). “I’ve had 24 years in this sport and I’m happy with how things finished. When I came back after 2012 I didn’t want to have ‘what ifs’ 20 years later. Being able to close the door on this sport how I wanted to — that’s why I’m happy now.”

“Just being able to finish this way is special because now I’m able to start the next chapter in my life. This is just the start of something new," he added.

Michael Phelps became the most decorated gymnast with 28 Olympic medals.