American swimming great Michael Phelps' coach Bob Bowman has said that the Olympic legend has returned to competition because he believes he can swim faster than ever.
Phelps, who won a record 18 Olympic titles from 2004-2012 and 22 medals in total, announced his comeback in April.
Bowman said that if Phelps didn't think he had the chance to get faster, he doesn't think that the swimming champion would have come back, The BBC reported.
Phelps races in five events and three relays at the Pan Pacific Championships in Australia, which begin on Thursday. The four-day meet at the new Gold Coast Aquatic Centre in Southport is his first international event since ending his 20-month retirement and it is regarded as key preparation for next year's World Championships in Russia and the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Phelps qualified for the US team after two second-placed finishes at the trials earlier this month in Irvine, California, the report added.