Click on the link above to read the whole article. Love the quotes from Matt Biondi:
Matt Biondi, an 11-time Olympic medalist, can appreciate where both stars are coming from.
“In the beginning I was a lot more like Michael,” said Biondi, who won five golds, one silver and a bronze at the Seoul Games in 1988. “I was shy and withdrawn and really didn’t know how to handle the attention. My agent really worked with me. He kind of showed me you’ve been given a real gift to impact people’s lives, and he gave me some tips, and over time I grew to be more like Ryan.”
Biondi has met Phelps but said, “He was busy doing his own thing, and I never spoke to him meaningfully."
He has spent more time around Lochte, his most recent encounter occurring at the trials when Biondi and his two sons, ages 13 and 9, ran into Lochte as he was finishing another impromptu signing session. As a swimmer, Biondi said, it frustrated him when he was asked for “one more” autograph because it invariably led to engaging with strangers for several more minutes.
As a parent, though, Biondi knew how much it would mean to his boys to interact with Lochte, however briefly. He asked if Lochte had time for two more autographs, and, of course, he did.
“I’m a huge Lochte fan forever now,” Biondi said in a telephone interview. “That’s the kind of gesture from my perspective, from all the years that I put in at that level, that makes the sport better.”
As a parent, though, Biondi knew how much it would mean to his boys to interact with Lochte, however briefly. He asked if Lochte had time for two more autographs, and, of course, he did.
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