Ryan Lochte

For now, Michael Phelps is doing what any 27-year-old who has won more medals than any Olympian ever - and earned millions along the way - would probably do. Vacation a little bit. (You've probably seen pictures of him in Las Vegas and the Maldives .) Golf. (Of course, his golf game is the subject of a reality television show.) Date a model. ( You've read all about Megan Rossee by now.) And, because he's from Baltimore, eat crabs. “Pretty much I'm just living the retirement life,” Phelps said Monday after a ceremony/pep rally at Under Armour headquarters.

INDIANAPOLIS -- For a pair of the nation's top swimmers, the chlorine that was in the air in the Indiana University Natatorium proved to be much thicker than any competitive tensions. Michael Phelps, from Rodgers Forge, and Towson's Katie Hoff each raced in an "off" event on the opening day of the ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships and while neither walked away with a gold medal yesterday, each posted a personal-best time. ConocoPhillips USA Swimming National Championships Through Saturday, Indianapolis Today: Michael Phelps takes on Ryan Lochte in the 200-meter backstroke.

On the first day of the rest of his life,  Michael Phelps   slept in. Really in. "I just woke up," he told reporters at a 1 p.m. news conference Sunday, the day after he swam his last race ever to complete a 22-medal run over four Olympics. After spending much of his life seeing almost nothing but "the black line at the bottom of the pool," Phelps seemed ready to make up for lost time. He's been here for about two weeks, for example, but just now had seen Big Ben and the Parliament as he was driven to the event, organized by one of his sponsors, Visa.

Lest anyone had any doubt what a year Michael Phelps has had, behold this: GQ's Russian version just named him International Man of the Year. Phelps made the cover of Russian GQ's current issue, looking, well, rather sexy in low slung sweats, and a leather jacket over an unzipped hoodie. One pretty much notices the abs first. Ryan Lochte is no doubt seething. And girlfriend Megan Rossee must be proud, proud, proud. Wish we knew, however, what the headline says about Phelps.

With the Shanghai Championships behind him ("Wait for London, Phelps Declares" Aug. 1), Michael Phelps and his coach, Bob Bowman, have a year to get our Baltimore Olympic star back on top. Mr. Phelps thrives on competition, and a few defeats only inspire him to become faster and stronger. Besides, every time Ryan Lochte handed Mr. Phelps a narrow defeat last week, it was after Mr. Lochte had a day of rest, while Mr. Phelps was competing in race after race as he always does. Until Mr. Lochte competes in as many races as Mr. Phelps, a few wins on his part will never outshine Baltimore's eight gold medal Olympic winner.

In Beijing, Michael Phelps won eight Olympic gold medals, and six in Athens before that. Last Saturday, Ryan Lochte beat Mr. Phelps convincingly in the 400-meter individual medley. Last Sunday, Mr. Phelps built a solid lead for Mr. Lochte in the 400-meter relay, and Mr. Lochte lost it and the race. And last Monday, a very fast French swimmer and two others relegated Mr. Lochte to fourth place in the 200-meter free style. Naturally, we wish him the very best, but it is now even clearer to everyone, including no doubt Mr. Lochte, how awesomely impressive Michael Phelps ' accomplishments are. The hype about "Lochte's time" is now in proper perspective: He will achieve some good, maybe even great results, but there simply has never been anybody like Michael Phelps . Bradley Alger, Baltimore

My family and friends have enjoyed reading Jean Marbella 's excellent coverage of the continuing saga of Michael Phelps ("Phelps beats Lochte again," July 2).This year's rivalry with Ryan Lochte, coupled with the distinct possibility that he might again compete in eight Olympic events, sets the stage for an exciting swimming spectacle in London. Michael Phelps obviously has a lot of gas left in the tank. Never underestimate what he can do when he meets the water.

LONDON - Michael Phelps, after just becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time, will anchor the U.S. men's 800-meter freestyle relay tonight. The surprise decision - Phelps tends to lead off - was announced just before the start of the 200-meter butterfly, in which he won silver. The U.S. relay team will be led off by Ryan Lochte, who on Sunday anchored the 400 frees relay and gave up the race-long lead to French swimmer Yannick Agnel, in a reverse of what happened so dramatically in the Beijing Games.

The tension in the air at Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center during Michael Phelps ' 100-meter butterfly race Friday afternoon was almost as thick as the chlorine smell that filled the pool's lobby. From the moment Phelps hit the water, the nearly 50 members of the Olympic swimmer's North Baltimore pool crowded around a TV screaming "Mi-chael! Mi-chael! Mi-chael!" They issued a collective groan at the halfway turn, when Phelps appeared to be lagging behind. But he pounded through the last 50 meters, and the nervousness at Meadowbrook erupted into euphoria - manifested in an earsplitting scream - as Phelps, the most decorated Olympian ever, stretched past South African Chad le Clos and Russian Evgeny Korotyshkin to claim his 17th gold medal and 21st medal overall.

Michael Phelps didn't feel like himself Sunday morning in China. In the ready room, just a few meters from the pool inside the 11,000-seat Water Cube, he sat in silence by himself, listening to music with his head down. Something was amiss. He looked, in every sense of the word, nervous, the rarest of emotions for Phelps. But minutes before the start of the 400-meter individual medley final, something unusual happened. "I started getting these chills up my body," Phelps said. "Right then, I knew I was starting to get more and more excited."