Rivals Phelps, Lochte share a suite in Olympic Village
By Erik Brady, USA TODAY 2012/7/26
ONDON – Michael Phelps shares a four-bedroom suite in the athletes' village with six other American swimmers, including rival Ryan Lochte. The two are partners at cards, but aren't roommates — Phelps has the suite's only single."We're able to request if we want a roommate or not," Phelps said Wednesday, appearing relaxed as he chatted amiably with reporters at a Speedo event. "For the competition part, I don't really like a roommate."
Phelps does like having suitemates, and he offered a glimpse of village life, talking about nightly
games of spades in the common area (he and Lochte won the first night) and watching TV (he downloaded the first two episodes of season five of Breaking Bad) and eating pasta or pizza for lunch ("I'm sticking to the Beijing diet").
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Phelps wore his credential around his neck, with his official Games photo, which shows him disheveled and unkempt, with a bad case of bed-head.
"That's a hot picture," Phelps said, laughing. "Actually, when I saw this, I didn't think they were going to let me into the village."
He explained it was taken after an afternoon nap while he was in Colorado for training, "so that's why the hair is all over the place. I look a little out of it."
Phelps reiterated that this Olympics, his fourth, will be his last. He said he'll try not to think much about that. "I'm trying to save as much emotional energy as I can" for his races, he said.
The village rooms have no air conditioning and athletes use rotating fans of the kind familiar in college dorms. Phelps said his room "is about the size of a closet. … You walk in, and I'm not joking you, my room is probably about that wide."
And here he spreads his arms and then tucks his elbows in, to indicate his room is not as wide as his famous wingspan.
"I have, like, a bed, a nightstand, a dresser," he said, "and that's about all I got."
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