For Fred Phelps, this Olympics is the sweetest
— -- RIO DE JANEIRO -- On the edge of his chair, fists clenched, mumbling borderline unintelligible words, Michael Phelps' father Fred has watched the Rio Olympics from Baltimore with a newfound sense of emotion.
"It's been awesome," Fred told ESPN on Friday. "Just absolutely remarkable watching him swim."
Fred Phelps has always closely followed his son's career. He attended the 2000 and 2004 games in person. He followed along in 2008 as his son won a record eight gold medals in Beijing from a hospital room, where his then-wife was undergoing treatment for cancer. But after reconciling his relationship with Michael during family meetings at a behavioral rehabilitation facility in November 2014, this time feels different.
"No question," Fred said. "It feels like I'm more a part of what's going on than I was before. He acknowledges me now and we text back and forth. It's been great."
Asked to pick a favorite Phelps race so far in Rio, Fred answered "all of them," though he was particularly entertained by Wednesday's shadowboxing stare down between his son and South Africa's Chad le Clos that became an internet meme machine.
"I knew what [Chad] was trying to do and I could tell Michael knew it, too," Fred said. "He was trying to break Michael's psyche and distract him but that wasn't going to work. Michael has swam a lot more high-pressure races than that kid ever will. Michael was just like, 'You can dance if you want, but the real swimmer is going to be in the water. I'll show you how to win this race.' And then he did it."
Fred Phelps added it has been wonderful following along from home but at the same time "miserable" that he can't be in Brazil to watch in person. Phelps, a retired Maryland state police officer, said he chose not to make the trip to Rio because he couldn't afford it and was unsure if his legs could handle the excessive walking.
"Would I have loved to have been there? My God yes," Phelps said. "But I just couldn't make it happen. So I watch here at home. I stay calm on the outside but pretty much want to blow up on the inside."
Related Stories
ABC News Live