RIO DE JANEIRO -- On a gorgeous summer evening in Barcelona, Spain, in the summer of 2013, a retired Michael Phelps sat in the press tribune at the World Aquatics Championships frustrated at what was unfolding in the pool down below.
For the second straight major international meet, the United States held the lead in the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay with 100 meters to go, but were overtaken by France, which both times would go on to win gold. Phelps couldn't stand it. He believed he could have made a difference. He texted coach Bob Bowman about the mistakes Phelps believed the coach had made. But really, that was all he could do. A year earlier, he had retired after the London 2012 Games. He was nothing more than a glorified spectator. He hated hit. He thought about a comeback.
Fast forward three years, and there was Phelps on Sunday night, walking onto a world championship-level pool deck for the first time since Barcelona. This time, he was wearing a racing suit. This time, he was swimming the second leg of that same race. And he believed the end result was going to be a gold medal.
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