ROME — Michael Phelps had every reason to be satisfied after the Beijing Olympics. Yet he kept insisting there was more to do in the pool.
Clearly.
Even coming off his longest layoff and the embarrassment of being photographed inhaling from a marijuana pipe, Phelps turned in another remarkable performance over eight days at the Foro Italico.
He completed it Sunday by helping the U.S. 400-meter medley relay team set the 43rd world record of the fastest swimming meet in history.
OK, he didn’t win another eight golds. This time, he made do with five golds and a silver.
Still, Phelps showed plenty of fire, even when there’s really nothing left to prove.
“I never want to look back on my career and ask, ‘What if?’ ” he said.
Swimming the butterfly leg, Phelps helped the U.S. pull away from Germany and Australia to win in 3 minutes, 27.28 seconds. That easily broke the mark of 3:29.34 set by the Americans at last summer’s Olympics, another relay team that included Phelps.
“That relay brings out the best in me,” Phelps said. “It doesn’t matter how much energy I have, it’s all going to go into every race. That’s one of the things that I enjoy most — stepping out onto the blocks no matter what kind of shape I’m in.”
Phelps took six months off after his Beijing triumph, drew a three-month suspension from competition after the infamous pipe photo — and he was still honored as the outstanding male swimmer of the championships. Italy’s Federica Pellegrini received the award for females at the final major meet for high-tech bodysuits, which will be banned Jan. 1.
Eric Shanteau, who overcame testicular cancer to swim his best times, picked up the first major gold medal of his career on the breaststroke leg of the relay, to go along with a silver and a bronze in Rome. The other members of the winning team were backstroker Aaron Peirsol and freestyle anchor David Walters.
Also Sunday, Ryan Lochte won his fourth gold of the championships, and Germany’s Britta Steffen matched her 50-100 freestyle sweep in Beijing.
