Multi-Olympic champion Michael Phelps has committed himself to the 2012 London lympics after contemplating his participation following the furore after he was pictured apparently using illegal drugs.
The 23-year-old was last month suspended for three months by USA Swimming and the governing body also withdrew all financial support after a photograph was published of him apparently inhaling from the type of glass pipe used to smoke cannabis. His sponsor Kellogg then announced they would not renew their contract with the swimmer when it expired at the end of February.
Phelps, who became the most successful Olympian in history when he won eight gold medals to add to the six he claimed in Athens four years previously, also confirmed he would compete at the World Championships in Rome this summer. He does not, though, expect to be in the same peak condition as last year.
“I think I can get back to some kind of racing form,” Phelps continued. “For every day you miss, it takes you twice as long to get back – and I’ve been out of the water for about five months. So it will take about 10 months to really get back to where I was.”
Phelps also admitted he had made a huge error of judgement when he was pictured with the now infamous bong at a party at the University of South Carolina last November, although the swimmer has always stopped short of admitting smoking cannabis.
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Michael Phelps is a hero to America, Phelps personifies a strong work ethic and a desire to win. Michael earned his wealth and success unlike the wall street barons and phony politicians of our government. Phelps smoking a glass pipe should say something negative about the drug laws and not about the man. If you can achieve what he did in the Olympics while high then we should reconsider as a country why we choose to make getting high illegal.
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