CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Michael Phelps lunged to the wall, popped his head out of the water, and turned immediately toward the scoreboard. There was a "1" beside his name. Felt pretty good. For the first ...

Michael Phelps was repeatedly pressed by Today show host Matt Lauer, but the most accomplished swimmer in Olympic history didn’t budge. “Done. Done. Done,” Phelps said Monday, repeating what he said ...

This story appears in ESPN The Magazine's July 18 Body Issue. Subscribe today. Editor's note: This story contains explicit language. Snakes. For as long as Michael Phelps can remember, he's hated ...