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Phelps now has three Olympic records - for winning the most overall medals with 22, for winning the most gold medals with 18, and for the most gold medals in a single Olympics with eight, which he won in Beijing in 2008.

When asked at a news conference in London which medal meant the most to him, Phelps said it was the gold medal he won in Athens for the 400 meterindividual medley.

"You know being able to, you know, sort of train your whole life to achieve something and finally getting that gold medal and standing at the top of the podium listening to the national anthem play, it was one of the coolest you know moments of my life.”

Now that he is retired from competitive swimming, Phelps who is 27-years-old says he intends to stay involved with his foundation that promotes water safety and encourages young people to swim. Beyond that, he says he just wants to have fun.

“And I don't have any fears about the sort of next stage of my life. You know this is something that is going to be enjoyable. I've been able to, I've swam for 20 years and you know I've been able to put my mind to something and achieve everything I've ever wanted, and there are a lot of goals that I have, and you know I have the confidence now that I can achieve anything that I put my mind to.”

Phelps says right now he is a bit overwhelmed and needs time to come to terms with the significance of his Olympic achievements before moving on to the next stage of his life.

individual medley: 個(gè)人混合泳

overwhelmed: 受寵若驚的，不知所措

come to terms: 終于接受；學(xué)會(huì)面對(duì)

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