Michael Phelps’ Great Olympics Sportsmanship

Have you been watching the Olympics coverage? I have to say, I’ve been glued to my TV screen. It’s so inspiring to see these talented athletes accomplish these super-human feats, especially after years of training, sacrifices, and absolute discipline. I love that passion! And for me, the Olympics are also a chance to see good sportsmanship in action.

Take Michael Phelps for instance. He’s now the most decorated Olympian in history, and he really proved himself in his final Games appearance. But what really impressed me was his reaction to coming second in the 200-meter butterfly. The gold medalist, South Africa’s Chad Le Clos, was visibly emotional and nervous after just narrowly beating his hero Phelps. It must have been a disappointing loss for Phelps—winning would have made him the first male swimmer to win an Olympic swimming event three times in a row—but he was completely gracious, embracing his rival, posing for photos, and kindly steering him towards the media outlets for the post-match interviews. Phelps even later took to Twitter to praise Le Clos for his “amazing swim.” What a nice example of sportsmanship!

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Tags: chad le clos, civility, good sports, london 2012, michael phelps, olympics, olympics sportsmanship, parks image group, peggy parks, sportsmanship