I pee in the pool, says Phelps

New York - Olympic great Michael Phelps has admitted he's guilty of a different sort of gold run - his habit of peeing in the pool.

The champion swimmer, who is retiring from competitive swimming after his success in the London Olympics, told the Wall Street Journal that professional swimmers didn't bother clambering out to search for a toilet.

"I think everybody pees in the pool," he said in the brief video interview.

"It's kind of a normal thing to do with swimmers. You know, when we're in the water for two hours we don't really get out, you know, to pee. We just go whenever we're on the wall. Chlorine kills it so it's not bad."

Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time with 22 medals, including 18 gold medals.