Michael Phelps will take his last lap at this summer's London Olympics, but his legacy -- and his sculpted body -- will be far from forgotten.
At 6-foot-4, the 16-time medalist has gone from a skinny mini teen to a statuesque grown man. "It's the whole package: the Speedo, the goggles, the cap. It makes me feel like a superhero!" he tells Us Weekly of his most recognized uniform.
Since bringing home a whopping eight gold medals at the Beijing Summer Olympics in 2008, Phelps has had his fare share of non-swimming headline-making moments. In early 2009, he was suspended from competitive swimming after being caught smoking marijuana -- a moment he tells Us Weekly was "the lowest point in my career."
"After 2008, I knew deep down inside I wanted to [swim], but I just didn't want to put in the work," the 27-year-old athlete tells Us of his party fouls while living the high life. "There were times when I just wouldn't come to practice and it didn't excite me."
But this time around, Phelps is in it to win it -- if not on the boards, then for his own personal goals.
"Once I hang my suit up I want to be able to look back and say I've done everything I can in my career -- whether that's having fifty gold medals or having sixteen total medals," the Baltimore, Maryland native tells Us. "If I can say I've done everything I've wanted, I think that's really all that matters."
