On the heels of Michael Phelps’ final Olympics performance–a Gold Medal effort in the 4×100 Men’s Medley relay–2012 Olympics broadcaster NBC confirmed plans to air a special on the swimmer this Sunday night.
Based on medal count, Phelps, who has amassed twenty two Olympic medals, eighteen of which are gold, is the greatest Olympic champion of all time, and NBC will profile that “Golden Champion” during the “Michael Phelps: America’s Golden Champion” special at 7PM Eastern Sunday night.
In addition to highlights from Phelps’ historic Olympics career, the special will be built around the post-competition interview between NBC’s chief Olympics anchor Bob Costas and Phelps, who claims the 2012 London Olympics will be his final Games. That interview was initially broadcast late Saturday night, after NBC concluded its broadcast of the day’s athletic events.
“America’s greatest interviewer sitting down with the world’s greatest Olympian makes for an inspiring piece of television,” says NBC Olympics Executive Producer Jim Bell. “Our feeling after seeing the interview was that this was something that every fan of the Olympics should see, and tonight they will.”
NBC’s press release noted:
On the night of his final Olympic event, a night full of emotion and achievement, Phelps sat with Costas shortly after leaving the pool. Phelps and Costas discuss the tapestry of Phelps’ career, including; the first time on an international stage in Sydney; the trials and tribulations with coach and mentor Bob Bowman; his world famous 200-meter Butterfly race in Beijing, where his goggles filled with water during the race; the training regimen that helped him win so many medals; how his rivalries fueled his passion and desire to win; the influence of watching Michael Jordan’s dominance and how it shaped his career as one of America’s greatest athletes ever; and Phelps’ future outside of the pool.
The Phelps special leads into another night of primetime coverage on NBC; Sunday’s action will be built around the Men’s 100 meter track final, individual gymnastics competition for the members of America’s female “Fab Five” and women’s beach volleyball.
