Michael Phelps coming out of retirement, to compete in Arena Grand Prix

USPA News - Olympic gold medalist and world record holder Michael Phelps will be coming out of retirement this month and will compete in the upcoming Arena Grand Prix, event organizers announced Monday. USA Swimming said Phelps, 28, will be swimming competitively for the first time since winning six medals - four of them gold - at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

He will be competing along with other swimming stars such as Ryan Lochte and Katie Ledecky. Phelps first announced his retirement just before the 2012 games. According to USA TODAY, Phelps` longtime coach, Bow Bowman, said he and Phelps decided months ago on competing in the Arena Grand Prix, which is taking place in Mesa, Arizona, from April 24 through April 26. "As of today, I definitely expect him to swim," Bowman told USA TODAY on Monday after USA Swimming announced Phelps` participation. The 22-time Olympic medalist was entered in the 100-meter butterfly and 100-meter freestyle events. Phelps` participation in Mesa is expected to be his first step towards competing in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He rejoined the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency`s drug testing pool last year and regained his eligibility for competition in March. "We`re looking forward to it. I think it`ll be great for the sport to have Michael compete again," Bowman was quoted as saying by USA TODAY. "We really don?t have any expectations for what might happen. We just want to have some fun with it and see how it goes."