Tweets: champion swimmer Phelps to step away from sport

WASHINGTON –Olympic champion and Baltimore County native Michael Phelps said Sunday that he is going to “take some time away” from swimming following a DUI arrest earlier in the week.

Phelps expressed his intention in a series of tweets Sunday morning. He was stopped on a speeding violation, arrested and charged with DUI on Sept. 30.

Read more about the arrest here.

The 29-year-old Phelps failed a series of field sobriety tests and had a blood-alcohol content of 0.14 percent, well above the legal limit of 0.08.

Phelps retired after the 2012 Olympics in London, having won a record 18 gold medals and 22 medals overall. But he returned to competition this year with the goal of making the 2016 Rio Games. His comeback has produced encouraging results, including three golds and two silvers at the Pac Pacific Championships in August.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

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