Michael Phelps cheers on Team USA’s young rookie swimmers

This year marks the first Olympics since 2000 without Michael Phelps in the water, but the 23-time gold medalist is confident that the male and female swimmers on just starting their Olympic careers on Team USA are poised to carry on his legacy.

“Being able to start the Olympics as they did – you know, obviously some surprises – but being able to have a team that’s 68 percent rookies, for me, that’s amazing,” Phelps told Savannah Guthrie and Hoda Kotb on TODAY. “The future of our sport is in good hands.”

In the interview, Phelps also comments on Katie Ledecky’s silver medal win in the women’s 400m freestyle on Monday, Caeleb Dressel’s potential to pick up multiple medals at the Tokyo Games and his life outside the pool.

Watch the full interview above.