Rio 2016: Interview with 15-year-old Michael Phelps reveals dreams of world's greatest Olympian

The American swimmer became the most decorated Olympian of the modern era this week in claiming his 22nd gold medal

Every champion had a life before their fame and success, and that’s no different for the most decorated Olympian of the modern era, Michael Phelps.

A video has emerged of the swimmer aged 15 speaking about his aspirations to one day win a gold medal at the Olympics

Phelps, now 31, managed to break another record on Thursday, becoming the first ever swimmer to win four gold medals in consecutive events.

"I guess my long-term goal is to win the gold medal in Athens, and go on more than one event,” Phelps says in the video, “I have a lot of goals, but I think that I just want to take it day by day."

The interview was conducted in 2001, almost a year after his first Olympics in Sydney.

Although Phelps hadn’t taken any medals in Australia, he had certainly caught the public’s attention, returning to do exactly as he hoped in the following games.

At the time, the ‘Baltimore Bullet’ had already claimed world records and was the youngest American male to make the national swim team in almost 70 years.

"I don't really live a normal life as a teenager,” says 15-year-old Phelps, “I guess I gave up a lot of things, but I'm getting tons of other things normal 15-year-olds aren't getting.

“So I think this is the life that anyone could dream of. I'm definitely loving it."