BALTIMORE: Olympic great Michael Phelps apologised on Tuesday for his latest brush with the law, saying he was “deeply sorry to everyone I have let down” with an arrest for driving under the influence of alcohol.

Police charged the 18-time Olympic champion after officers said he was speeding and failed field sobriety tests when pulled over in his native Baltimore early Tuesday.

This is the second time Phelps has been arrested for DUI, the first coming in 2004 after he competed at the Athens Olympics. He also was photographed using a marijuana pipe after the 2008 Beijing Games, which resulted in a three-month suspension from USA Swimming.

“I understand the severity of my actions and take full responsibility,” Phelps, the most decorated Olympic athlete of all time, said. “I know these words may not mean much right now but I am deeply sorry to everyone I have let down.”

Phelps retired from competitive swimming after the 2012 London Olympics but he returned to competition in April, signed a long-term sponsorship deal with a new swimsuit company, and has set his sights on competing at Rio in 2016, which would be his fifth Olympics.

The 29-year-old Phelps was charged with driving under the influence, excessive speed and crossing double lane lines in the Fort McHenry Tunnel on Interstate 95 in his native Baltimore, according to the Maryland Transportation Authority.

The agency released a statement saying a police officer was using radar about 1:40am when Phelps’ white 2014 Land Rover came through at 84mph in a 45-mph zone. “Phelps was identified as the driver by his driver’s licence and appeared to be under the influence,” the statement said. “He was unable to perform satisfactorily a series of standard field sobriety tests.”

Published in Dawn, October 2nd , 2014