Phelps face is already a tattoo.
After a camera in the ready room captured Michael Phelps’ intense stare while Chad le Clos did his little dance before Monday night’s 200-meter butterfly race, the image became social media’s meme of the moment, and now it’s permanently inked on a Phelps fan’s body.
Tattoo artist Livia Tsang told TIME that she gave Ricky Fung, co-founder at Chronic Ink Tattoos in Toronto, the tattoo “because he’s first and foremost a big Phelps fan, but also because of his work ethic and perseverance,” she explains. The tattoo is apparently no joke, Fung admires the groundbreaking Olympian’s concentration.
“When we chose the image, we had a bit of a laugh about it, but he told me that he wanted it because it showed his moment of focus before the race.” Tsang had to work from a zoomed-in screen shot to create the tattoo, which was challenging. “The most important thing was to really capture his eyes.”
Phelps won his 22nd gold medal Thursday, and will compete in the 100-meter butterfly race Friday night.
This is the face of swimming that will always live on.
See some of his face’s greatest hits below.
- The Case for Mediocrity
- How Russia Is Recruiting Cubans to Fight in Ukraine
- Paul Hollywood Answers All of Your Questions About The Great British Baking Show
- Meet the 2023 TIME100 Next: the Emerging Leaders Shaping the World
- Oprah and Arthur C. Brooks: How to Separate Work From Your Identity
- How Canada and India's Relationship Crumbled
- You Don’t Have to Like Wrestling to Love Netflix’s Excellent Wrestlers
- The Most Anticipated Books, Movies, TV, and Music of Fall 2023
- Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time
