In the case of a possible Michael Phelps comeback, actions may speak louder than words, considering the fact that no words have been spoken.
The Baltimore Sun is reporting that Phelps has rejoined the U.S. drug-testing program and was tested twice during the third quarter of the year.
According to the Sun, Phelps faced a Nov. 6 deadline to be eligible for the U.S. nationals in the summer of 2014 but easily beat that deadline, according to records posted by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Phelps, who has won 18 Olympic gold medals and 22 Olympic medals overall from his competitions in the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics, had issued somewhat weak denials about making a comeback for the '16 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
The 28-year-old Phelps did say that he didn't miss the training that it took to become a world-class athlete. According to the Sun, he has spent the past year and three months traveling all over the world, promoting his swim academies and playing golf.
The Sun also reported that Phelps sometimes clashed with coach Bob Bowman while preparing for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Bowman accused him of not being as devoted in his training as he was during his previous two pre-Olympic sessions.
Phelps won four gold medals and two silvers in London but was not nearly as dominant as he had been in 2008 when he captured gold in all eight races he entered.
His main rival, Ryan Lochte, had predicted that Phelps would be back, drawing a response from Phelps:
"Man, people will believe anything that's written, anything that's on TV," he said in an interview with The Sun over the summer. "There's nothing in the works with me coming back to swimming. This is a part of my life I'm enjoying. I've never had freedom like this. I live on my own time. I play golf three or four times a week. I wake up whenever I want. I have a few things to do here and there, but mostly my time is mine. I'm not thinking about changing that."
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