The swimmer ended his Olympic career with a gold medal in the 4×100-meter medley relay, bringing his career total to 18 gold medals and 22 medals overall, both Olympic records. Phelps was also awarded a silver trophy recognizing him as the most-decorated Olympic athlete ever, and took a victory lap in the pool after the race.
And for those wondering about the secrets to Phelps’ massive success, the swimmer revealed which artists were pumping him up for his grand finale. Phelps tweeted ahead of the race that for his workout, he’d listened to Young Jeezy,Lil Wayne, Lil Jon, Avicii, Afro Jack and Diddy.
He also revealed at the bittersweet nature of retirement, retweeting a quote from Dr. Seuss:
“Don’t cry because it’s over. Smile because it happened.” – Dr. Seuss
— Great Minds Quotes (@GreatestQuotes) August 4, 2012
Ahead of the race, the swimmer received plenty of Twitter love from his teammates and notable fans. Young Jeezy wished Phelps well, and retweeted this observation from a fan:
@michalephelps is proof that@youngjeezy does not only motivate the thugs.— Mr. Morris (@mr_morris0205) August 4, 2012
Samuel L. Jackson, who has proven to be one of the more entertaining of Olympic observers, had this to say:
PHELPS WALKS em’ DOWN!!! Came & got that ASS! OLYMPIC RULER!! Last race Maggie!! MOSTMUFFAQUATICPFUQQAH of ALL TIME! GOLD!!! Go USA!
— Samuel L. Jackson (@SamuelLJackson) August 4, 2012
Phelps also exchanged tweets with Entourage star Jeremy Piven, who wrote:
@michaelphelps been watching the whole thing unfold and you have been flat out inspiring, thanks— Jeremy Piven (@jeremypiven) August 3, 2012
Finally, there was this sincere tweet from teammate Matt Grevers:
It’s an honor to be in the last race with the greatest swimmer in history
@michaelphelps. I’m sure I’ll never forget it.— Matt Grevers (@MattGrevers) August 4, 2012
Phelps now retires from the Olympics, but not from the spotlight. As his agent, Peter Carlisle, recently said endorsement deals and the like could earn Phelps as much as $100 million during his lifetime. We’re sure to be seeing more of him.
