Phelps Returns to the Water: "I was pretty terrible." [Plus the New PHELPS BOOK]

Phelps visited London for the first time immediately after Beijing. "It was great. We walked around and did some shopping. And we also got to play tennis at Wimbledon - which was very cool." - The Guardian

NVDL: Wonder how his book will compare to Ryk's?

clipped from www.guardian.co.uk "I was pretty terrible," Michael Phelps says with a low laugh as he relives the moment when, last week, he slipped back into the pool for the first time since winning his eighth gold medal at the Beijing Olympics almost four months ago. "I went out quietly, on my own, and I swam a couple of miles. I didn't quite know what to expect because this is the longest time I've ever been out the pool - but I was not very good." "It dawned on me that my life had abruptly moved into a new and completely different phase. President Bush called and said: 'If you can handle eight gold medals, you can handle anything'" In the first part of our serialisation of Michael Phelps' autobiography he reveals how he became the greatest Olympian ever. The Will to Succeed by Michael Phelps is out now, published by Simon & Schuster UK Ltd priced £12.99