Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - A lokacin da yake matashi, Phelps ya yi wa dan wasan Australia Ian Thorpe bautar gumaka kuma ya tsara hotonsa na jama'a bayan Thorpe. Thorpe da farko ya ce ba zai yiwu ba Phelps ya lashe lambar zinare takwas a wasannin Olympics na bazara na 2008 a Beijing. Phelps ya yi amfani da maganganun a matsayin motsawa kuma ya sanya kalmomin a kan akwati a lokacin Wasannin. Thorpe ya kasance a cikin masu sauraro don 4 × 100 mita medley relay
, inda Phelps ke yin iyo don lashe lambar zinare ta takwas ta Olympics. Lokacin da Phelps da abokansa suka kama zinariya, Thorpe ya ba da sumba mai gaisuwa ga mahaifiyar Phelps, sannan ya ba da hannu da runguma don taya Phelps murna. Bayan haka, Thorpe ya ce "Ina matukar alfahari da shi ba wai kawai saboda ya lashe zinare takwas ba. Maimakon haka, yadda ya girma da kuma girma ya zama babban mutum. Ban taɓa yin farin ciki haka ba a rayuwata da aka nuna mini cewa abin da na yi ba daidai ba ne".