Michael Phelps has reignited his rivalry with Australian swimmer Cate Campbell by prominently featuring a cowbell in his Instagram story, a gesture likely to provoke the Australian swim team at the Paris Games.
The use of cowbells by US swimming coaches, a method revived from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, has been a contentious issue, particularly disliked by Australians. Last year at the World Championships in Japan, Campbell expressed her annoyance with the noise and critiqued the Americans as “sore losers” after Australia clinched more gold medals.
Remembering the rivalry, Phelps appeared to target Campbell with his cowbell ringing, captioning his post, “One thing to say…” Although Campbell is not competing in Paris due to not qualifying at the Brisbane trials—where she hoped for a “fairytale ending” but was let down by her body—Phelps expressed to NBC News his desire for Team USA to “ring those cowbells as loud as they can all meet long.”
Campbell, a celebrated Olympian, has won six medals in relay events, including four golds, throughout her Olympic career.
