Is Phelps starting to fade?

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Michael Phelps could be handed a short prison sentence after being charged with drink driving just two months after winning eight medals - six of them gold - at the 2004 Olympics.

For someone who coped admirably well with the intense scrutiny that accompanied every stroke of his amazing feat in Athens, it is a surprising fall from grace.

Aged just 19, he handled the media spotlight in the Greek capital like a seasoned professional.

Not once did he show any sign of frustration - publicly at least - at the constant questioning about his assault on Mark Spitz’s record tally of seven golds, achieved at the Montreal Games in 1976.

Nor was he fazed by the media fuelling his burgeoning rivalry with Australian great Ian Thorpe.

Having survived such an ordeal, the last thing anyone expected was Phelps to fall foul of the law.

The decision to drive drunk has tarnished the teenager’s status as a model superstar and no doubt angered his many sponsors, who were hoping to exploit his all-American boy image for many years to come.

Phelps may well recover from the self-inflicted damage - his open and honest admission of guilt and stupidity has helped in that respect - but there is another threat to his swimming future, one that cannot be negated by words.

A back injury forced him to withdraw from last month’s World Short-Course Championships in Indianapolis, leading to speculation that his body may be breaking down under the constant battering it is being subjected to.

Double Olympic champion Grant Hackett, a close friend of Phelps, certainly believes the world may have seen the best of the ‘Baltimore Bullet’.

“Yes, perhaps, when you are at that level and pushing your body that much,” said the Australian, who won 1500m gold in both Sydney and Athens.

“That back issue is something that could be long-term. Hopefully it’s not for him.

“If he can get over the injury, then great, but it could be something that hangs around because of the amount of stress he is putting on his body.”

Phelps is blessed with enormous talent.

He swam all four strokes in Athens, winning gold in the 200m and 400m individual medleys, the 100m and 200m butterfly, 4×200 freestyle relay and 4×100m medley relay.

He also went home with a bronze in the 200m freestyle and 4×100m freestyle relay.

But Hackett believes such a workload is bound to take its toll, even on someone as brilliant as Phelps.

Phelps may boast such a flexible body that he can manoeuvre it into positions most other swimmers would find intolerable, but Hackett says it is time for him to start cutting back.

“He’s a phenomenal athlete and he was right on his game at the Olympic Games,” Hackett told BBC Sport.

“But it is going to be very difficult to compete in seven or eight events every time.

“I remember when Ian (Thorpe) and I were competing in four, five or sometimes six events. That’s a huge workload and just too tough to do and too tough to continue in.

“It is going to be hard for Michael to focus across such a broad spectrum.

“He’s certainly going to have to narrow down his programme, in my opinion, and focus on a few things and specialise.”

That may present Phelps with another conundrum. When you are as good as he is, just which events do you drop?