Michael Phelps

Michael Fred Phelps II (Baltimore, Maryland, June 30, 1985) is an American former Olympic swimmer and the most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the records for most Olympic gold medals (23), most individual event gold medals (13), and most Olympic medals in men's events (15).

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, after winning eight gold medals, Phelps became the top gold medalist in a single edition of the games. Five of those medals were in individual events, tying the record held by Eric Heiden and Vitaly Scherbo for multiple individual event gold medalists in a single edition. At the 2012 London Olympics, Phelps won four gold medals and two silver medals, becoming the athlete with the most medals at the games for the third time in a row. Phelps is the world record holder in the 400m medley long course, as He is also a former world record holder in the 100 and 200-meter butterfly as well as the 200-meter freestyle and medley. He won a total of 73 medals in the major world competitions in the long course: 59 golds, 11 silvers and 3 bronzes, including the Olympic Games, World Championships and the Pan-Pacific Championships. Phelps' titles and records have earned him recognition as Swimmer of the Year six times and American Swimmer of the Year eight times. His 2008 Olympic performance earned him the Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year award. And he is considered the best swimmer of all time.

After the 2008 Olympics, Phelps started the Michael Phelps Foundation, focused on developing swimming and promoting healthy lifestyles.

Early Years

Phelps was born and raised in the Rodgers Forge neighborhood of Towson, north Baltimore. Michael is the youngest of three children. His mother, Deborah, was a high school principal. His father, Michael Fred Phelps, is a retired Maryland State trooper who played high school and college football, trialing for the Washington Redskins in the His parents divorced in 1994, his father remarried in 2000. Phelps graduated from Towson High School in 2003.

Phelps began swimming at the age of seven, influenced in part by his sisters and the need to control his hyperactivity. While in sixth grade, he was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). At the age of 10, he set a national record for swimmers of his age, and began training at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club under Bob Bowman. Phelps continued to break age group records, his rapid improvement culminating in his qualification to the 2000 Sydney Olympics at the age of 15, becoming the youngest male swimmer to make the Olympic swimming team in 68 years. Although he did not win an medal, reached the final of the 200-meter butterfly and placed fifth.

In the 2001 World Swimming Championships qualifiers on March 30, Phelps broke the world record for the 200 m butterfly; at 15 years and 9 months he became the youngest swimmer to hold a world record swimming, surpassing Ian Thorpe, who set the record for the 400m freestyle at 16 years and 10 months. Already at the world championships in Fukuoka, Phelps broke his own record in the 200 m butterfly, becoming world champion for the first time.

Trajectory

Phelps in Santa Clara in 2009

Phelps first appeared at the 2000 Sydney Olympics as the youngest swimmer at 15 years of age. In this edition of the games he did not obtain medals.

Five months after Sydney, Phelps improved the 200-meter butterfly world record and then improved his own record again at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan (1:54,58). At the 2002 National Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Phelps also broke the 400-meter world record and the national records for the 100-meter butterfly and 200-meter medley.

2002 Pan-Pacific Championship

At the national selects for the 2002 Pan-Pacific Championships in Fort Lauderdale, Phelps set a national record in the 200 m medley and came close to doing it in the 200 m butterfly. In the 400 m medley, he bettered the record world record owned by Tom Dolan with a time of 4:11.09, only ahead of Erik Vendt who was second with 4:11.27, also above the previous world record. In the 200 m freestyle, Phelps was beaten by Klete Keller, to then win the 100m butterfly beating Ian Crocker and setting a new national record.

At the Pan-Pacific Swimming Championships in Yokohama, Phelps won three gold and two silver medals. In his first event, the 400m medley, he won by beating Erik Vendt with a time of 4:12.48. In the 200m butterfly he lost to Tom Malchow, finishing second with a time of 1:55.41 to Malchow's 1:55.21. Phelps said he lost because he didn't take butterfly training seriously after breaking the world record. In the 200m medley he won in 1:59.70. In the 4 × 200 free relay he along with Nate Dusing, Klete Keller and Chad Carvin he won the silver medal finishing behind Australia. In the 4 x 100 medley relay, made up of Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Jason Lezak, he had Phelps swim his relay in 51.1 seconds, at the time the fastest in history. The final time of 3:33.48 was a new world record.

2003 World Championships

In 2003, Phelps broke his own world record in the 400-meter medley (4:09.09) and in June, the world record in the 200-meter medley (1:56.04). He continued in July 2004, again improving his 400m IM world record (4:08.41) during the Trials for the 2004 Summer Olympics.

At nationals, Phelps won the 200m freestyle, 200m backstroke, and 100m butterfly. He became the first American swimmer to win three different races in three different strokes at the national championships. At the 2003 Duel in the Pool, a competition pitting star swimmers from Australia against the United States, Phelps broke the 400m medley world record with a time of 4:10.73 and was close to repeating it in the 100 m butterfly, remaining only three hundredths. At the Barcelona World Cup in Santa Clara, Phelps broke the world record for the 200m medley, clocking 1:57.94, he said he achieved the record after Don Talbot said it was unlikely he would do it, using those words as motivation..

At the 2003 World Championships, Phelps won four gold medals, two silvers and set five world records. He broke the first record on July 22 in the semifinals of the 200m butterfly, he swam a breaking 1:53.93 his own mark of 1:54.58 set in 2001, being the first swimmer to go under 1:54.00. Already in the final, on July 23, Phelps easily won the gold medal, but he did not come close to his record, finishing with a time of 1:54.35. Less than an hour later he swam the starting leg of the 4 free relay. × 200, achieving a time of 1:46.60, a new national record. However, the Americans could not match the Australians and were second in 7:10.26 to the Australian relay's 7:08.58. In the 200 m medley Phelps was the complete dominator. On July 24 in the semifinals, he broke his own record with 1:57.52, and on July 25, the day of the final, he again broke his own record with a time of 1:56.04, winning gold and leading by almost three seconds. Ian Thorpe. About an hour before the final of the 200m medley, Phelps had swum the semifinal of the 100m butterfly. He once again showed total dominance of the event, becoming a finalist and setting a world record with 51.47, surpassing that set by Andriy Serdinov in the previous semi-final. However, in the final held on July 26, Ian Crocker broke the record of Phelps with a time of 50.98; first swimmer to drop below 51.00. Phelps swam in 51.10, also under the world record, but winning the silver medal. On July 27 in the final of the 400 m medley, he again broke his world record with a time in 4:09.09, winning the gold medal. A little over an hour later, he won his last medal with the 4 x 100 medley relay. Despite not swimming the final, he received the medal for swimming the heat.

2004 Olympic Games

Phelps won six gold and two bronze medals in 2004 after competing in eight events: 200 freestyle, 100 and 200 butterfly, 200 and 400 medley, 4 x 100 freestyle, 4 x 100 medley and 4 × 200 meters medley.

Qualifiers

At the national qualifiers for the Athens Olympics, Phelps participated in six events, including the 200 and 400m medley, the 100 and 200m butterfly, the 200m freestyle, and the 200m backstroke. In his first event, the 400 m medley, he won easily with a new world record of 4:08.41. Two days later, in the 200 m freestyle he again won with a time of 1:46.27, leading by six-tenths of a second. to Klete Keller. However, Phelps was not comfortable with the time, he wanted to be in 1:45s to aspire to a medal in the Olympics. The next day, he won the 200m butterfly with a time of 1:54.31, three seconds ahead of Tom Malchow.After two days without competing, Phelps jumped into the pool to swim the 200m backstroke, losing to Aaron Peirsol.; in less than an hour and a half later, he swam the 200 m medley where he edged Ryan Lochte by 2.70 seconds. The next day Phelps was second in the 100 m butterfly, finishing behind Ian Crocker who with a time of 50';76 seconds set a new world record, and led Phelps by 0.39 seconds. When the qualifiers ended, Phelps became the first swimmer from Team USA to qualify for six individual events at the Olympic Games. However Phelps declined to participate in the 200 m backstroke to focus his training on the 200 m freestyle so that he could compete with Ian Thorpe. Although Phelps did not compete in the 100 m freestyle in the qualifiers, he was selected as part of the 4 x 100 freestyle relay. Gary Hall Jr. expressed that it was unfair, and that Phelps did not deserve a position in the relay, to which Phelps argued with his tight schedule of six tests, not to swim the 100 free, also considered to be among the four best swimmers after having beaten the first classified of the distance, Jason Lezak the last time he competed with him.

Olympic Games

In his first event, the 400 m medley, Phelps won with a time of 4:08.26, a new world record and his first Olympic gold medal. The next day, in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay, Phelps alongside Ian Crocker, Neil Walker, and Jason Lezak were third with a time of 3:14.62. Crocker's 50.05 sprint was the worst of the relay and he was blamed for swimming sick. In the event dubbed by many as The Race of the Century, held the following day, Phelps was again third behind Crocker. Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband in the 200 m freestyle. This race ended Phelps' chance to match Mark Spitz for seven gold medals in a single Olympic game. Phelps enjoyed the test despite not being the best distance from him, saying "How can I be disappointed?" I swam with two of the fastest freestylers ever'. For his fourth event, the 200m butterfly, Phelps won with a time of 1:54.04, surpassing Tom Malchow's Olympic record. About an hour later, in the 4 × 200 freestyle relay, Phelps, along with Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay, and Klete Keller, finished first in 7:07.33. Two days later, in the 200m medley, he came first with a new Olympic record of 1:57.14. In the final of the 100m butterfly held the following day, Phelps defeated his partner Ian Crocker (who was the world record holder at the time) by just 0'04 seconds with a time of 51'. 25. Traditionally, the top-ranked American in an individual event automatically receives a spot in the final of the 4 x 100 medley relay. This gave Phelps his spot on the relay team, which he withdrew and gave to Crocker. de Phelps gave Crocker a chance to vindicate himself and win a gold medal. The relay was won by the United States with a new world record, and Phelps, who swam in the preliminary heat, was also awarded the gold medal. Won six gold and two bronze medals, Phelps, even as a teenager, managed the second best performance by an athlete in a single Olympic Games, surpassed only by Mark Spitz and his seven golds in Munich 1972. In addition, he became the second swimmer to win more than two individual events in a single game, tying Spitz with four.

2005 World Championships

Phelps on the right during the victory of the 100 m butterfly of the Montreal World Championship.

In the qualifiers for the World Championships in Montreal, Phelps decided not to participate in his strongest events, the 400m medley and 200m butterfly, and experimented with the 100m and 400m freestyle. Over the course of the event, Phelps won the 100, 200, and 400-meter freestyle, the 100-meter butterfly, and the 200-meter medley.

At the 2005 World Swimming Championships, Phelps won a total of six medals, five golds and one silver. In the 400 m freestyle, he failed the preliminary phase and placed 18th overall with a time of 3:50.53. Later that day, in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay, he won his first Worlds gold medal, with a time of 3:13.77, a new championship record. Two days later, on July 26, Phelps won his second gold in the 200 m freestyle in a new national record of 1:45.20, finishing ahead of Grant Hackett. Two days later, on July 28, Phelps qualified for the final of the 100-meter freestyle and 200-meter medley in under an hour; he was seventh in the final of the 100-meter freestyle, and first of the 200-meter medley., his third gold in the championship. The next day, together with Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay and Klete Keller they won the 4 × 200 freestyle relay, with a time of 7:06.58, the second fastest time in history. July, Phelps swam his last individual event, the 100m butterfly. In the final, Phelps could not match the speed of Ian Crocker and had to settle for the silver medal and a time of 51'65 to Crocker's 50'40, who broke his own world record. On the last day of competition, Phelps received the gold medal in the 4 x 100 medley relay, despite not swimming the final, he was awarded for being part of the team in the preliminary

Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

George W. Bush (left) next to Phelps (right) in Beijing 2008

Phelps, with one of the gold medals he won in Beijing 2008

Phelps achieved the challenge of obtaining 8 gold medals in the swimming events at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. In total he has won 23 Olympic gold medals (Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016), reaching to be considered the best swimmer in history. He currently has 28 gold, silver and bronze medals.

Phelps surpassed the world record set by Mark Spitz by winning eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

According to a study by ESIrg (Economics, Sport and Intangibles) from the University of Navarra, Michael Phelps was the media king of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, based on the number of news items generated worldwide.

Event
200 m free 12 August	Michael Phelps(USA) 1:42,96 (RM)	Taehwan Park(COR) 1:44,85	Peter Vanderkaay(USA) 1:45,14
100 m butterfly 16 August	Michael Phelps(USA) 50.58 (RO)	Milorad Čavić(SRB) 50.59	Andrew Lauterstein(AUS) 51.12
200 m butterfly 13 August	Michael Phelps(USA) 1:52,03 (RM)	Laszló Cseh(HUN) 1:52,70	Takeshi Matsuda(JPN) 1:52,97
200 m four styles 15 August	Michael Phelps(USA) 1:54,23 (RM)	Laszló Cseh(HUN) 1:56,52	Ryan Lochte(USA) 1:56,53
400 m four styles 10 August	Michael Phelps(USA) 4:03,84 (RM)	Laszló Cseh(HUN) 4:06,16	Ryan Lochte(USA) 4:08,09
4 x 100 m free 11 August	United States(USA) Cullen Jones Jason Lezak Michael Phelps Garrett Weber-Gale 3:08,24 (RM)	France(FRA) Alain Bernard Frederik Bousquet Fabien Gilot Amaury Levaux 3:08,32	Australia(AUS) Eamon Sullivan Andrew Lauterstein Ashley Callus Matt Targett 3:09,91
4 × 200 m free 13 August	United States(USA) Ricky Berens Ryan Lochte Michael Phelps Peter Vanderkaay 6:58,56 (RM)	Russia(RUS) Danila Izotov Evgeni Lagunov Nikita Lobintsev Alexander Sukhorukov 7:03,70	Australia(AUS) Grant Brits Nick Frost Grant Hackett Patrick Murphy 7:04,98
4 x 100 m four styles 17 August	United States(USA) Brendan Hansen Jason Lezak Aaron Peirsol Michael Phelps 3:29,34 (RM)	Australia(AUS) Andrew Lauterstein Brenton Rickard Hayden Stoeckel Eamon Sullivan 3:30,04	Japan(JPN) Takuro Fujii Kōsuke Kitajima Junichi Miyashita Hisayoshi Sato 3:31,18

2012 London Olympic Games

On the first day of competition he competed in the 400m medley, winning his heat, but qualifying for the final with the worst time and swimming down lane 8 he finished 4th, four seconds behind compatriot Ryan Lochte, and also behind the Brazilian Thiago Pereira and the Japanese Kosuke Hagino.

His next event was the 4 x 100 freestyle relay in which he teamed up with Cullen Jones, Ryan Lochte and Nathan Adrian, performing well, but in the final leg the Frenchman Yannick Agnel won the event, relegating them to second place. The French finished with a time of 3:09.93, while the Americans did it in 3:10.38

He continued his participation in the 200-meter butterfly, in the morning heat he finished third in his heat and qualified third for the semifinal. That same day in the second semifinal he won the series and settled in lane 5 for the final. In the final, his biggest opponent was the South African Chad le Clos, who in a spectacular race won him gold at the last breath and had to settle for silver.

On July 31 in the 4 × 200-meter freestyle relay he won his first gold in London accompanied by Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens. With a time of 6:59.70, he broke his losing streak and clinched the first gold. On July 31, he becomes the most successful athlete in the history of the Olympic Games by getting his 19th medal, surpassing the previous record of 18 Olympic medals obtained by the Soviet Larissa Latynina.

August 1st was the day of Michael's rematch, and the 200-meter medley would take him to the first step of the podium. In the morning qualifying he finished second in his heat and qualified for the afternoon semifinal. There he competed against his compatriot Ryan Lochte, who beat him and went to the final with the best time. With a time of: 1: 54.27 he hung the gold medal.

On August 2, she would compete in the 100-meter butterfly event looking for what would be her third gold medal in these Games. In an excellent race, he took revenge against Chad le Clos and won with a time of 51.21 what would be his 21st medal in the Olympic Games.

On August 2, 2012, he won his twentieth Olympic medal by winning the 200m medley, becoming the first male swimmer to win the same event at three different Olympics, which he would repeat the following day in the 100m. butterfly. On August 4, 2012, he won his twenty-second medal in an Olympic Games, announcing himself as a legend, in the 4 x 100 medley relay race, winning the gold medal with the United States and announcing his retirement from swimming.

His last gold medal in those Olympic Games was in the 4 x 100 meter medley relay in which his team were: Matt Grevers, Brendan Hansen and Nathan Adrian, and with a time of 3:29.35 he said goodbye to London and became the top Olympic medalist in history with 18 golds, 2 silvers and 2 bronzes, announcing his retirement being considered the best swimmer in history.

Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games

Although he had announced his retirement after London 2012, he returned to compete in Rio 2016. He won a gold medal in the 4 x 100-meter freestyle event. And later on August 9, after finishing second in Semifinal 2 and third in the Qualifiers, he won the twentieth Olympic gold medal by consecrating himself in the butterfly style for 200 meters with a time of 1: 53.36.

That same night he competed again in the 4 × 200-meter freestyle relay, as the last relay, and won his third gold medal in Rio.

On August 11, he was proclaimed the winner of the 200m medley event, getting his fourth gold medal in Rio.

World Records

Phelps holds 1 world record individually and 3 world records in relay:

• Beijing 2008, 400 m styles (4:03.84)
• Beijing 2008, 4 x 100 m free (3:08.24) next to Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak
• Rome 2009, 4 × 200 m free (6:58.55) along with Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens and David Walters

Awards and recognitions

Phelps's dominance has led him to be compared to Mark Spitz, who won seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics, a world record Phelps reached in the swimming world championships in Melbourne by winning seven gold medals.

In 2010 he was chosen as the best FINA athlete of the decade in the discipline of men's swimming. In addition, Phelps has won the following awards:

• World Swimmer of the Year Award: 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007
• American Swimmer of the Year Award: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007
• Golden Goggle Male Performance of the Year: 2004, 2006, 2007
• Golden Goggle Relay Performance of the Year: 2006, 2007
• Golden Goggle Male Athlete of the Year: 2004, 2007
• ESPY Awards 2005-ESPY Best Olympic Performance: 2005
• USOC Athlete of the Year Award: 2004
• USSA Athlete of the Year Award: 2003
• World Swimming Champion: 2003
• James E. Sullivan Award: 2003
• Teen Choice Awards - Male Athlete: 2005
• Laureus World Sports Sportsman of the Year AwardNominee): 2004, 2005, 2008
• United States Olympic Member: 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016
• Multiple Olympic medal athletes: 16
• More Olympic medals obtained at an individual event: 8

(Beijing 2008)

• Street 'The Michael Phelps Way' named in tribute to Michael Phelps: 2004

Suits (TV series)

Phelps made his appearance in this series, playing himself (episode 11, minute 21:10, third season). The swimmer caused Harvey (Gabriel Macht) to confront his prickly past when Scottie (Abigail Spencer) tried to get Phelps to be the first client at her firm.

Personal life

Phelps is married to former Miss California, Sofia Lanzillotta. They were married on June 13, 2016 in a private ceremony, and the marriage was not made public until four months later. They met in 2007 at the ESPYs, broke up in 2012, reconciled, and got engaged in 2015. They have three children, Boomer Robert Phelps, born May 5, 2016, Beckett Richard Phelps, born February 12, 2018, and Maverick Nicolas Phelps, born September 9, 2019.

In November 2004, at the age of 19, Phelps was arrested for driving under the influence in Salisbury, Maryland. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to serve 18 months probation, pay a $2,500 fine, and give talks to high school kids about driving and drinking. After the incident, journalist Matt Lauer interviewed Phelps on the "Today Show." Michael said that it had been an isolated incident, and that it had been a great disappointment to him, his family, and to many Americans.

In the years 2004 and 2008, Phelps attended the University of Michigan, in Ann Arbor, Michigan, studying "Sports, Advertising, and Management." In May 2008 he announced his intention to return to Baltimore after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, along with his coach Bob Bowman, who also dropped out of the University of Michigan, to be director of the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Phelps bought a house in the Fells Point neighborhood of Maryland, where he has resided since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Phelps is estimated to have earned $5 million a year from product promotion, including $1 million for being the face of Mazda in China.

Logo of the Michael Phelps Foundation

After receiving a $1 million bonus from swimwear brand Speedo for winning 8 gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps used this money to create the Michael Phelps Foundation.), which is a charitable foundation to promote water safety, and swimming among children. Speedo later donated an additional $200,000 to the foundation.

On December 10, 2008, the American magazine “TV Guide” selected Phelps as one of the ten most fascinating people in the United States of America

In early 2009, Phelps admitted to misbehavior after the News of the World published a photo of him using a bong (water pipe), a device used to smoke marijuana.

On February 16, in a subsequent investigation, the Richland County Sheriff's department announced that Phelps would not be prosecuted, as there was insufficient evidence. Following that incident, the United States Swimming Federation (USA Swimming) suspended Phelps from competitive swimming for a period of three months, and Kellogg's announced that he would not renew his advertising contract with the swimmer.

On April 9, 2009, Phelps was invited to appear before the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate to be honored for his Olympic achievements. He received standing ovations from legislators in both chambers.

Phelps is a co-founder of the show “Swim with the Stars,” with Ian Crocker and Lenny Krayzelburg. This program is in charge of promoting swimming and runs swim camps for people of all ages.

Phelps was invited to attend the XXI Winter Olympic Games that were held in the Canadian city of Vancouver.

In October 2014, Phelps was sanctioned by the federation of his country with a six-month suspension and not participate in the 2015 World Cups, a week after being arrested in Baltimore (Maryland) for driving under the influence of alcohol. The sanction expired on April 6, 2015, but the American Federation (USA Swimming) also decided that the swimmer would not compete in the World Championships that were held in the Russian city of Kazan from August 2 to 9, 2015. In this Phelps was penalized for violating the federation's Code of Conduct, for which he was removed from the competition for six months and could not be selected until April 6, 2015.

In addition, Phelps and 'USA Swimming' They have agreed that the swimmer will not be able to represent the United States in the Kazan World Cups. He will also stop receiving during those six months the monthly stipend received by the federation. USA Swimming explains that "being a member of it, and particularly of the national team, entails the obligation to adhere to its Code of Conduct".

"In the event of a violation, it is our responsibility to take appropriate action, and Michael's conduct was serious and requires consequences," the US federation adds on its website. Michael Phelps, was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol on September 29 night in Baltimore.

According to authorities, the 29-year-old Phelps' car was going 85 mph in a 40-speed zone. Phelps was going through a tunnel in Baltimore City, where he resides.

The police statement said that when the Olympic champion's Land Rover was pulled over, the driver "appeared to be under the influence of alcohol." "He was unable to correctly perform a series of basic sobriety tests," police sources said.