NEW YORK — Michael Phelps looked out into a Times Square hotel ballroom, filled with many athletes whom he inspired, and delivered an acceptance speech for an award honoring his impact on swimming.
The 23-time Olympic champion held a smartphone in his right hand and occasionally peered at it as he again thanked the most important people in his life. His voiced cracked.
Phelps reflected, again, on his stated goal when he turned professional at age 16 in 2001: to change the sport of swimming.
He saw a room full of swimmers at the Golden Goggle Awards, an annual event that debuted in 2004, shortly after Phelps won his first eight Olympic medals in Athens and three years before the iPhone.