Michael Phelps skips Atlanta meet to await the birth of his child

Phelps may compete in Austin before next month's U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials.

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Michael Phelps has informed organizers that he will skip the upcoming Atlanta Classic on May 13–15 to be with his fiancée Nicole Johnson during the expected birth of Phelps’s first son. 

The 18-time Olympic gold medalist and Johnson plan to get married after the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

“We understand some of you may have purchased tickets to see Michael Phelps,” officials said on the meet website. “We will respectfully refund your tickets if you choose not to attend.”

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The meet, expected to be a tune-up before the U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials, will feature Olympians Nathan Adrian, Katie Ledecky and Natalie Coughlin.

The 2016 U.S. Olympic Swimming Trials will take place in Omaha, Neb., from June 26 to July 3. Phelps may compete at the Austin Elite Invite from June 3–5 before the trials.

- Chris Chavez