The Art of Bouncing Back: Comeback Tales That Proved Fruitful
World-class swimmers typically discuss leaving the sport based on their love for the grind, their current athletic prowess, and if another major competition is worth pursuing. This decision to retire, for the vast majority, is final. A cap on a momentous career. Time to reflect on the memories and move on to ventures anew.
However, the end may not be as final as it seems. What about those who have been reeled back in following their time away? Here are five of the most notable examples of great comeback tales.
Michael Phelps
The most significant swimmer to return is Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer to have ever graced a pool. Phelps’ achievements pre-retirement speak for themselves. Eight medales each at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games, with all eight gold in Beijing. There were six further medals in London 2012, four gold and two silver, to make him the most-decorated Olympic athlete of all-time.
Throughout his career, Phelps vowed that he would not swim in to his 30s. In 2012, he was 27 and did not see it within himself to continue for another Olympic cycle. Mental and physical exhaustion led to Phelps walking away after the London Games.
This all seemed final. It was logical, too. Phelps’ immense drive would not let him continue as an extra in a new athlete’s scene. Yet, in spring 2014, Phelps announced his return at a meet in Arizona. A year later, he posted three world No. 1 times, revealing he would be at his best for the 2016 Rio Olympics.
In this case, retirement was the breath of fresh air Phelps needed. At the Rio Games, Phelps won five golds and a silver at the age of 31 to take his tallies to 23 Olympic gold medals (no one else has even posted double digits) and 28 total Olympic medals. Phelps again announced his retirement after these Olympics.
Florent Manaudou
Florent Manaudou of France celebrates after winning the bronze medal in the swimming 50m Freestyle Men Final during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Defense Arena in Paris (France), August 02, 2024.
In contrast to retiring due to burnout and rediscovering a love for the sport, we shift the focus to enjoying new pastures for a few years before returning and continuing to excel.
France’s Florent Manaudou was also extremely decorated before his hiatus in 2016. Three Olympic medals included a spectacular gold medal from Lane Seven in the 50 freestyle at the London Olympics. Combine this effort with seven World Championships golds across long and short course and you have one of the greatest sprinters of his generation. However, after a double-silver in Rio 2016, Manaudou abruptly and briefly left swimming and took up professional handball.
Manaudou cited external pressures from media and the public for this decision. Following personal disappointment in missing out on a repeat gold in the 50m freestyle, he believed that he was no longer swimming for the right reasons, was ‘done with swimming’ and wanted to reinvigorate his passion for sport as part of a team.
This change of scenery helped him significantly upon his return to swimming in 2019, as Manaudou channeled his enjoyment of handball into his swimming training. He took a silver at the delayed Olympics in Tokyo and was a flag bearer for France at his home games in Paris three years later, as he won two bronze medals.
Following the 2024 Games, Manaudou again announced a break from the sport, returning to play handball as he did in 2016. This time, he is keeping an open mind to continuing his career, with an eye on the 2026 European Championships held in Paris.
Ruta Meilutyte
Ruta Meilutyte: Photo Courtesy: Giorgio Scala, Deepbluemedia
Lithuania’s Ruta Meilutyte burst into stardom at a young age. At the age of 15, she became Olympic champion in the 100 breaststroke. A year later, she broke three world records, still only 16. Combine these efforts with four World Championships titles and seven European championship victories and you have a glittering career.
However, Meilutyte also dealt with struggles. Disappointment at the failure to defend her Olympic crown in 2016, when she placed seventh, was followed by additional shortcomings. More, in April 2018, Meilutyte announced her retirement after missing several doping tests. She was just 22.
In 2022, though, Meilutyte returned to competition and began to thrive again. From 2022-24, she won six World Championships titles across long course and short course, and she continues to chase the podium. Meilutyte has proven resilient, able to bounce back from a career dip.
Anthony Ervin
Photo Courtesy: Peter H. Bick
By far the athlete with the longest separation between peaks on this list is Anthony Ervin. At the age of 19, Ervin won gold in the 50 freestyle at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, where he tied with training partner and fellow American Gary Hall Jr. Further golds at the 2001 World Championships followed, but in 2003, at the age of 22, Ervin left the sport.
Ervin ventured in a number of directions during his time away from swimming and noted he stopped referring to himself as an Olympic champion. He also auctioned his gold medal to raise money for victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami. Ervin battled mental health struggles in this period and has stated that he was not able to rise from his sofa for days at a time at his lowest moments. However, in 2011, he returned after eight years away from the pool.
Twelve years after his first Games, and just a year after resuming his career, Ervin qualified for the London Olympics and finished an impressive fifth in his return to the 50 freestyle final. Four years later, at the age of 35, Ervin delivered a spectacular performance at the 2016 Olympics, capturing gold in the 50 freestyle. This success made Ervin the oldest individual Olympic gold medalist in swimming. Two triumphs, sixteen years apart.
These stories should give inspiration to us all. Highs and lows are a part of sport, and taking a break can feel like potentially the end of the road. However, there is always a route back and the setbacks only make the triumphs sweeter.