The most successful Olympian of all time, American swimmer Michael Phelps says he is in better shape than ever as he prepares for his final Games, in Rio de Janeiro next year. Phelps already has 18 gold medals to his name, and can take his almost surreally impressive haul even higher in the Cidade Maravilhosa in nine months’ time.

Having initially retired from swimming following the London 2012 Olympic Games, Phelps announced earlier this year that he plans to compete in Rio. His life has been complicated in recent times and this week he spoke about battling back from depression and an arrest for drink driving. “I was in a really dark place. Not wanting to be alive anymore,” he said in an interview with Sports Illustrated.

Michael Phelps could become the oldest swimmer to win Olympic gold at the Rio 2016 Games (Getty Images/Hannah Foslien)

However, a 45-day stay at rehabilitation facility The Meadows, a move that initially left Phelps as “probably the most afraid I’ve ever felt in my life”, changed the athlete’s outlook.

The experience proved an enormous plus for the 30-year-old, whose road to sporting recovery began with a series of dazzling displays at the national championships in San Antonio in April this year, where he won the 200m butterfly, 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley.

As his preparations for Rio 2016 intensify, Phelps has promised to abstain from alcohol until after the Games. “Haven’t had a single sip and will not have a sip. My body fat has dropped significantly, and I’m leaner than I’ve ever been.”

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