Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps Asked To Join ‘Dancing With The Stars,’ Will He Join This Time?

Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps was reportedly asked to join the hit TV show "Dancing With The Stars" once again but sources close to him are saying that despite considering doing it, the athlete does not want to do it.

This is not the first time that Phelps was asked to be part of "Dancing With The Stars" as he was offered the same gig back in 2012. An insider said that the Olympian, who has won 22 medals, 18 of which are gold, considered being part of it but does not want to pursue it.

The insider shared, "Michael has been asked before (to do DWTS) and he was recently asked [to compete in] the upcoming season. And though he has considered it, he doesn't want to do it; he wants his legacy to be in the pool and not on the dance floor," Hollywood Life reported.

During the 2012 offer, Phelps shared himself during the OMEGA House "Spotlight On Swimming" Event that he is not known for dancing but he is not ruling anything out. He also said that he talked to his fellow U.S. Olympians Nataly Coughlin and Apolo Anton Ono, who have both joined "Dancing With The Stars" in the past.

He went on to reveal during that time that he talked to the two athletes and said that they enjoyed their time on "Dancing With The Stars." Phelps also said that he would pick Coughlin to be his partner if in case he joins the show. Couhglin placed 10^th in the Season 9 of "Dancing With The Stars." Aside from Coughlin and Ono, Kristi Yamaguchi and Mery Davis also took the stage of "Dancing With The Stars" in the former seasons of the show.

As for Phelps' Rio Olympics competition, his first race is a 4x100m freestyle relay, NBC reported. He will be joining individual 100m freestyle racers Nathan Adrian and Caeleb Dressel.

Phelps won gold in the 4x100m freestyle relay in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics.