"It means Michael has done what he wanted to do, affect the sport of swimming," a watery-eyed Bowman said. "When he described that to me, he got choked up about it. So did I."

When he was just 15, Phelps stated his goals to agent Peter Carlisle. They had nothing to do with gold medals, world records or becoming the greatest swimmer ever. Instead, Phelps said he wanted to change the sport of swimming; he wanted to motivate, inspire and push people to chase their dreams.

...

"It's like Larry Holmes and Muhammad Ali," he said. "I mean, this is my son's hero. When [Phelps] put his arm around Chad, it's unbelievable. Michael is the most gentlemanly person in sport. From the le Clos family to the Phelps family, I want them to know how much we appreciate everything Michael did for us. He changed my family's life."

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This is what it's all about.

He wanted to motivate, inspire, and push people to chase their dreams.

I can't wait to see what Michael Phelps does next.