Michael Phelps oozed confidence as he walked the streets of Sydney, Australia, on Tuesday ahead of his appearance at the World Business Forum. The legendary Olympic swimmer was virtually unrecognizable from his days in the pool, with the star sporting a slicked back man bun and a full beard with streaks of gray in it. He kept it casual with a navy jacket and matching trousers, white sneakers and a white collared shirt, and added a gold chain and black-rimmed glasses to complete the look.
Michael looked worlds away from his appearance at the height of his swimming career, when he sported a buzzcut and a clean-shaven face. Professional swimmers often shave their entire bodies in order to move quickly through the water and to gain a slight time advantage. Michael hinted at this practice in a past interview, sharing insight into the difference that a bit of hair made to his performance.
"I hadn't shaved in like three to four months going into nationals…I mean, it was bad. It was really bad," he admitted. "So [in the pool] I went 1.57 in a full beard, and when I shaved my body and my face I went 1.52."
Michael caused a stir when he was seen wearing a man bun and a beard at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with one user on X commenting that he was "One of the few men who can pull off a man bun."
Another X user chimed in: "Michael Phelps with a beard is something I did not know I needed," and a third added: "Michael Phelps has gold medal hair." The 40-year-old retired from professional swimming in 2016 after the Rio Olympics, and has since dedicated himself to family life and to mental health advocacy.
© JaydenSeyfarth/MEDIA-MODE.COM"As an athlete, I can say I've seen other athletes as well who struggle with depression or anxiety like I do," he told Fortune in 2024. "We just spiral because that's just what we've done throughout our career, right? As a male athlete, I thought opening up would be a sign of weakness and I would be giving my competitors an extra edge."
He continued: "I probably could've won more gold medals being someone who is super good at compartmentalizing...but in reality, at any given moment the volcano could erupt. I was scared as can be to [open up] for two decades, and now it's almost like you can't get me to stop. If I'm going through a tough time, it's word vomit."
© Getty Images for Sports for Peac
© Getty ImagesMichael checked himself into a treatment center in 2014, which improved his mental health exponentially. "I started feeling like a person…I guess I could love myself and like who I saw. I think for a long time, I looked at myself as a swimmer and not a human, so being able to learn more about me, how I worked, why I work that way through treatment and through unpacking all the extra crap that I had inside of me," he shared with Healthline.
15 photos of Michael Phelps through the years...
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© Getty Images13 August 2000
Michael Phelps in the US Olympic Swimming Trials. He went on to qualify in 2000 as the youngest American male to make the swimming team in years.
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© Getty Images18 September 2000
Michael Phelps during the Olympics Games in the Sydney International Aquatic Centre, in Sydney Australia.
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© Getty Images29 August 2002
Michael Phelps was part of the USA relay team who won gold at the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Japan.
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© Getty Images15 July 2003
When not in Olympic season, Michael was training for other events such as the 2003 World Swimming Championship.
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© AFP via Getty Images23 July 2003
Michael won six medals at the 10th FINA World Championships in Barcelona.
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© NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via15 July 2004
Michael started to appear on popular talk programmes such as the Jay Leno show.
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© Fairfax Media via Getty Images14 August 2004
At the Athens 2004 Olympics, Michael won eight medals: 6 gold and two bronze
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© Getty Images7 September 2004
Michael Phelp's became a pop culture sensation and appeared on MTV's TRL with Vanessa Milano in 2004
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© Bongarts/Getty Images27 July 2005
After another Olympic victory, Michael competed at XI FINA World Championships at the Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec.
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© Sports Illustrated via Getty Ima1 April 2007
Michael won seven gold medals at the 12th FINA World Championship in Melbourne, Australia.
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© AFP via Getty Images16 August 2008
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Michael won eight gold medals and set a new world record for every medal he won, apart from except for the 100m butterfly event.
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© AFP via Getty Images4 August 2012
Michael won four gold medals and two silver at the London Olympics in 2012.
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© Getty Images11 August 2016
Michael was awarded his 28th Olympic medal and 23rd gold medal at the 2016 Rio de Janerio Olympic Games.
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© Getty Images for Huggies21 August 2017
Michael Phelps and his wife Nicole Phelps were spotted encouraging their son Boomer Phelps into the pool.
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© Corbis via Getty Images25 July 2021
Michael may have retired from the Olympics but he still watched on from the stands for the swimming finals at the Tokyo Aquatic Centre at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games .
