There’s a reason Michael Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time.
While we always thought it was a combination of God-given ability and extreme dedication, the 19-time gold medalist revealed there could be other factors at work.
Such as The Dark Side of The Force. Observe.
This is absolutely amazing TV from Phelps pic.twitter.com/16Rp7kEfuV
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) August 9, 2016
Talk about motor overload.
Phelps was so incredibly focused, he seemingly embraced The Dark Side while his South African rival, Chad le Clos, shadow boxed in front of him. It made for quite a scene in which Phelps looked angry with le Clos before their semifinal race to reach the final of the 200M butterfly, Phelps’ signature event. Le Clos just out-touched Phelps for the gold medal in the event in 2012.
The two raced side-by-side in the semifinal, with Phelps (1:54.12) finishing second but beating le Clos (1:55.19).
But it was the scene from the ready room that everyone was focused on. The Internet, of course, had a blast with it, even starting the hashtag #PhelpsFace on Twitter.
When your mom tells you no ice cream unless you eat all your veggies #PhelpsFace pic.twitter.com/6l87Iwjs9x
— DistrictofWindians (@dcindiansfan) August 9, 2016
When you get all the way to Chick-fil-A, walk up to the door, and realize it's Sunday #PhelpsFace pic.twitter.com/gHpDt0A6SH
— Bryce Klein (@BrycealanKlein) August 9, 2016
"I have studied you and found nothing but weakness" -Darth Sion #Olympics #PhelpsFace pic.twitter.com/Vog36SaOQp
— Mason Waugh (@BigMay2018) August 9, 2016
"If he dies, he dies." @MichaelPhelps #USA #Rio2016 pic.twitter.com/iVjHILzpWt
— Obnoxious Boston Fan (@realOBF) August 9, 2016
https://twitter.com/hehateme2012/status/762839609373958145
https://twitter.com/HerringWSJ/status/762840996807749632
https://twitter.com/danfavale/status/762841039329562624
And our personal favorite.
https://twitter.com/ChiBDM/status/762836153032581121
For what it’s worth, Phelps says he didn’t even notice le Clos but wasn’t concerned with his antics.
Tuesday’s final is going to be one amazing race.
