The swimming great Michael Phelps on Thursday announced the birth of his newborn child Beckett Richard Phelps and said he is the happiest man in the world. The 23-time Olympic gold medalist, in an Instagram post, said, “Magical moments yesterday. Nicole and I would like to introduce Beckett Richard Phelps to the world! We had a healthy baby boy and a healthy mama. I truly do feel like the happiest man in the world. Being able to build our family to now four (six with doggies) is so incredible!”
Phelps, who won 28 Olympic medals throughout his career, announced with his wife Nicole Johnson in August that they are expecting another child. It is their second child. The couple earlier gave birth to Boomer, in 2016.
The 32-year-old, who won 5 gold medals and one silver medal in Rio Olympics, announced his retirement from the sport in 2016. At a mental health conference in Chicago last month, Phelps opened up his long battle with depression and said, “After every Olympics, I think I fell into a major state of depression. “I didn’t want to be in the sport anymore. I didn’t want to be alive,” he was quoted as saying by AFP.
One of the most celebrated Olympians of all times, Phelps further added that mental illness should not be considered as a stigma. “We’re supposed to be this big, macho, physically strong human beings, but this is not a weakness. We are seeking and reaching for help,” he said. “Mental illness has a stigma around it and that’s something we still deal with every day. I think people actually finally understand it is real. People are talking about it and I think this is the only way that it can change,” he added.
