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.
"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."
Michael 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.