Fourth-Place Medal

Michael Phelps strips down for Louis Vuitton ad

By Erick Galindo | Fourth-Place Medal – Mon 13 Aug, 2012

Louis Vuitton ad

Michael Phelps is back in the water, sort of. The Speedo-clad superhero of the U.S. Olympic swim team is taking the world's fanciest bath in a new Louis Vuitton ad.

Phelps may have retired from competitive swimming, but that isn't going to stop him from making a living in the water. The new ad has the all-time winningest Olympian sitting in a bathtub wearing nothing but Speedos and goggles. Goggles? You may be able to make the case for wearing something resembling clothing in the tub, but who wears goggles for a few inches of water?

[ Related: Michael Phelps says he and Michael Jordan are the greatest ]

We may have just discovered the secret to Michael's success. Perhaps it wasn't his superhuman physique or his incomparable work ethic. Maybe it was just a pair of lucky goggles. And they seem to be working in and out the pool. If you've had a chance to see who Michael is dating these days, you wouldn't go anywhere without them either.

Phelps apparently, at least in the ad, carries his goggles, Speedos and 22 Olympic medals everywhere he goes in a leather Louis Vuitton duffle bag. He even fearlessly carries it right to the bathtub. Unlike us mere mortals, Phelps' dominance of H2O ameliorates the contentious relationship between leather and water.

The ad was reportedly shot by renowned photographer Annie Leibovitz, which makes sense given her knack for the art of composing shots of famous people having a wash. Leibovitz loves a good bathtub shot -- be it her shot of Angelina Jolie nude in the tub, or her photo of Whoopie Goldberg in a bathtub full of milk.

[ Related: Michael Phelps tells why he's not eating 12,000 calories anymore ]

This probably won't be the last time we see Michael Phelps in the water. He remains a marketable name and his association with the pool is the stuff of legends. And 2012 may not be the last time he's in the winner's circle. Word is he's taking golfing lessons from Tiger Woods' old swinging coach. Let's hope those aren't the only lessons he learns from Tiger's life.

Related Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Sports:


More London Olympics coverage on Yahoo! Sports:
• Usain Bolt to take on the long jump in Rio?
• Jamaican men's 4x100 relay team puts exclamation point on Games
• Allyson Felix's three-gold performance puts her in elite company

Related Videos

Most Popular »

  • Chilling out in sizzling Dubai's all-ice cafe
    Chilling out in sizzling Dubai's all-ice cafe

    By Mirna Sleiman DUBAI (Reuters) - Honeymooners and other tourists from the Gulf are heading to the throbbing heart of Dubai to beat the summer heat by cooling off at the first "ice lounge" in the Middle East. The interior decor of Dubai's Chillout cafe is made entirely of carved ice, with frozen picture frames, ice curtains and frosty seats covered in fur. The interior of the cafe, owned by UAE's Sharaf Group, is lit with multi-coloured fluorescent lights. ...

  • Road Test and Review: Ford EcoSport

    The Ford EcoSport has been an object of infatuation since it broke cover at the Delhi Auto Expo in 2012. It basked in the limelight for a year and a half for three reasons – an unconventionally attractive design, the … Continue reading →

  • Ankeet Chavan breaks down, accepts spot-fixing charge

    New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Rajasthan Royals cricketer Ankeet Chavan was the first to break down under interrogation by Delhi Police and has accepted his role in the spot-fixing scandal that rocked the Indian Premier League (IPL) Thursday.

  • South African woman caught at Mumbai airport with 26 kg drugs

    Mumbai, May 17 (IANS) In one of the biggest seizure of drugs, customs officials at Mumbai Airport Friday nabbed a South African woman carrying 26 kg of drugs worth over Rs.13 crore, an official said here.

  • Trio cracks and confesses, BCCI suspends another cricketer

    New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) swung into action Friday calling an emergency meeting and suspending a cricketer, but more and more sordid details of the spot fixing scandal came tumbling as the three arrested players, including S. Sreesanth, reportedly confessed to their crime.

  • Post scandal, RR banking on skipper Dravid

    Hyderabad, May 17 -- By the time Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals headed for practice on Thursday evening, dark clouds had gathered over the Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Uppal. Apart from posing a rain threat to the game, the clouds were symbolic of the tatters that the Royals had been reduced to in a matter of less than 24 hours.The arrests of S Sreesanth, Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila on Wednesday night for spot fixing marred what was appearing like an impressive season for the 2008

  • Chavan confesses to spot-fixing, but families say they are innocent

    New Delhi, May 17 (IANS) Even as cricketer Ankeet Chavan reportedly confessed to spot-fixing in IPL matches, the families and lawyers of the three arrested Rajasthan Royals players, including fast bowler S. Sreesanth, Friday maintained they were innocent.

More »

Yahoo! Sports Authors

Yahoo! Sports Blogs

Olympic, Olympiad, the Olympic rings, Faster Higher Stronger, Citius Altius Fortius and related marks are owned by the International Olympics Committee, the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, or their related entities. This site is neither endorsed by nor affiliated with any of these entities.