Person attributes
Other attributes
Early years
Phelps was born and raised in the Towson neighborhood, located north of Baltimore. The youngest of three children. His mother, Deborah Sue "Debbie" (nee Davisson), is a high school principal. His father, Michael Fred Phelps, played American football in high school. Phelps' parents divorced in 1994, and his father remarried in 2000. Phelps graduated from Towson High School in 2003.
Phelps started swimming at the age of seven, partly under the influence of his sister. When Phelps was in sixth grade, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. At the age of 10, being the holder of the national record for his age group, Phelps began to train under the guidance of coach Bob Bowman. Phelps had more and more success in his age group, and at the age of 15 he took part in the 2000 Olympic Games.
On March 30, 2001, at the World Aquatics Championships, Phelps broke the world record in the 200-meter butterfly. Thus, at the age of 15 years and 9 months, Phelps became the youngest person ever to set a world record in swimming.
Personal life
Married since 2016. Three children. Wife - model Nicole Johnson.
Phelps ' World Records
He holds seven current world records (50-meter pool/"long water": 400 m complex, 4×100 m freestyle relay, 4×200 m freestyle relay, 4×100 m combined relay; 25-meter pool/"short water": 4×100 m freestyle relay).
In total, Phelps set 37 world records on the "long water" (29 individual and 8 in the relay) and surpassed the highest achievement of Mark Spitz, who set 33 world records during his career (26 individual and 7 in the relay). Two more world records in the relay are on Phelps' account in the 25-meter pool (they were set last, after all the records in the 50-meter pool).
Phelps set 24 of his 37 records in the 50-meter pool at three distances: 200 m butterfly (8 records), 200 m (8 records) and 400 m (8 records) complex swimming. He held the world record in the 200 m butterfly continuously from March 2001 to July 24, 2019, and in the 400 m complex since August 2002.
Phelps set the most world records in 2003 (8), 2007 (6), 2008 (9) and 2009 (7) years. I haven't set any world records since December 2009.
Michael Phelps at the Olympics
At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, 15-year-old Phelps became the youngest Olympic swimmer from the USA in the last 68 years. He competed only in the 200-meter butterfly and took fifth place in the final (0.33 seconds separated Phelps from the bronze).
At the Athens Olympics in 2004, the 19-year-old Phelps won eight medals, of which six were gold and two bronze, while setting three Olympic and one world record. In addition, eight medals at one Olympiad is a repetition of the record of the famous Soviet gymnast Alexander Dityatin, who set his achievement at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps won all the distances he started and won eight gold medals, breaking Mark Spitz's record (seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics), which also made him a 14-time Olympic champion. Thus, beating Finnish track and field athlete Paavo Nurmi, American track and field athlete Carl Lewis and his American colleague Mark Spitz, he became the most decorated athlete in the history of the modern Olympic Games.
At the Olympic Games in London in 2012, Phelps surpassed all athletes in all sports by the total number of Olympic awards — 22 medals, breaking the record of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina (18), held for 48 years.
At the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Phelps won five gold medals — in the 4×100 m and 4×200 m freestyle relays, 4×100 m in the combined relay, as well as in the 200 m butterfly and 200 m complex swimming. Having won the 200 m complex swimming, he became the first swimmer to win a gold medal at the same distance at four Olympics (and one of four athletes - along with track and field athletes Carl Lewis and Al Orter, who won in the same discipline at four Olympics).
Having won 13 times at individual distances, he broke the record of the ancient Greek athlete Leonid of Rhodes, who won his last 3 gold medals out of 12 for 2168 years before in 152 BC.
Other achievements
At the World Championships in Melbourne in 2007, Phelps won 7 gold medals, while setting 5 world records. At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, Phelps won 5 gold medals and 1 silver, setting 4 world records (2 in individual events and 2 as part of the USA relay team). In 2011, at the World Championships in Shanghai, he won 4 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze (interestingly, bronze became the first medal of this dignity for Phelps in his rich collection of awards from the World Championships).
Phelps is a 50-time U.S. champion in individual events and relays in 2001-2010. At the same time, he also won three US championships, where distances are measured in yards.
8 times (2003, 2004, 2006-2009, 2012, 2016) he was recognized as the best swimmer of the year in the world, being the absolute record holder for this indicator.
9 times (2001-2004, 2006-2009, 2012) Phelps was recognized as the best swimmer of the year in the USA.
Evidence
As of 2008, he observes the so-called "Phelps diet". It contains a total of 10,000 kcal[12]. However, in an interview with USA Today in 2012, Phelps, answering questions about his diet, stated that the information spread in the media about a diet of 12,000 kcal is a myth. "I've never eaten so much," the champion noted.
In the ranking of "50 people and phenomena that made the XXI century the way it is", GQ magazine is ranked at the 14th position.
In 2004, a street in Phelps' hometown of Baltimore was named after him (Eng. Michael Phelps way).
Starting from the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, he dressed in a bathing suit LZR Racer, which the manufacturer Speedo positions as "the fastest hi-tech swimsuit in the world." Phelps took part in the advertising campaign of this company.
He has the 47th foot size, which is slightly larger than the average for people of his height; disproportionately short legs and disproportionately long torso compared to an ordinary person, the arm span is 203 cm, which is 10 cm longer than his height.
Michael Fred Phelps II (eng. Michael Fred Phelps II; b. June 30, 1985, Baltimore) is an American swimmer, 23—time Olympic champion (13 times in individual distances, 10 in relay races), 26-time world champion in the 50—meter pool, multiple world record holder. The absolute record holder for the number of gold awards (23) and awards in total (28) in the history of the Olympic Games, as well as gold awards (26) and awards in total (33) in the history of the World Championships in aquatics.
Sports nicknames — "Baltimore Bullet" (Eng. The Baltimore Bullet) and "Flying Fish".
He performed most successfully in freestyle and butterfly swimming, as well as in complex swimming.
He announced his retirement in 2012 at the age of 27 after the Olympic Games in London, but began participating in international competitions again in 2014, qualifying for the Olympic Games in Rio, where he won five gold and one silver medal. After the Rio Games, he announced his final retirement from swimming.
Early years
Phelps was born and raised in the Towson neighborhood, located north of Baltimore. The youngest of three children. His mother, Deborah Sue "Debbie" (nee Davisson), is a high school principal. His father, Michael Fred Phelps, played American football in high school. Phelps' parents divorced in 1994, and his father remarried in 2000. Phelps graduated from Towson High School in 2003.
Phelps started swimming at the age of seven, partly under the influence of his sister. When Phelps was in sixth grade, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. At the age of 10, being the holder of a national record for his age group, Phelps began training under the guidance of coach Bob Bowman. Phelps had more and more success in his age group, and at the age of 15 he took part in the 2000 Olympic Games.
On March 30, 2001, at the World Aquatics Championships, Phelps broke the world record in the 200-meter butterfly. Thus, at the age of 15 years and 9 months, Phelps became the youngest person ever to set a world record in swimming.
Personal life
Married since 2016. Three children. Wife — model Nicole Johnson.
Phelps ' World Records
Main article: World records in swimming set by Michael Phelps
He holds seven current world records (50-meter pool/"long water": 400 m complex, 4×100 m freestyle relay, 4×200 m freestyle relay, 4×100 m combined relay; 25-meter pool/"short water": 4×100 m freestyle relay style).
In total, Phelps set 37 world records on the "long water" (29 individual and 8 in the relay) and surpassed the highest achievement of Mark Spitz, who set 33 world records during his career (26 individual and 7 in the relay). Two more world records in the relay are on Phelps' account in the 25-meter pool (they were set last, after all the records in the 50-meter pool).
Phelps set 24 of his 37 records in the 50-meter pool at three distances: 200 m butterfly (8 records), 200 m (8 records) and 400 m (8 records) complex swimming. He held the world record in the 200 m butterfly continuously from March 2001 to July 24, 2019, and in the 400 m complex since August 2002.
Phelps set the most world records in 2003 (8), 2007 (6), 2008 (9) and 2009 (7) years. I haven't set any world records since December 2009.
Michael Phelps at the Olympics
At the Sydney Olympics in 2000, 15-year-old Phelps became the youngest Olympic swimmer from the USA in the last 68 years. He competed only in the 200-meter butterfly and took fifth place in the final (0.33 seconds separated Phelps from the bronze).
At the Athens Olympics in 2004, the 19-year-old Phelps won eight medals, of which six were gold and two bronze, while setting three Olympic and one world record. In addition, eight medals at one Olympiad is a repetition of the record of the famous Soviet gymnast Alexander Dityatin, who set his achievement at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow.
At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps won all the distances at which he started and won eight gold medals, breaking Mark Spitz's record (seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics), which also made him a 14-time Olympic champion. Thus, beating Finnish track and field athlete Paavo Nurmi, American track and field athlete Carl Lewis and his American colleague Mark Spitz, he became the most decorated athlete in the history of the modern Olympic Games.
At the Olympic Games in London in 2012, Phelps surpassed all athletes in all sports by the total number of Olympic awards — 22 medals, breaking the record of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina (18), held for 48 years.
At the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Phelps won five gold medals — in the 4×100 m and 4×200 m freestyle relays, 4×100 m in the combined relay, as well as in the 200 m butterfly and 200 m complex swimming. Having won the 200 m complex swimming, he became the first swimmer to win a gold medal at the same distance at four Olympics (and one of four athletes — along with track and field athletes Carl Lewis and Al Orter, who won in the same discipline at four Olympics).
Having won 13 times at individual distances, he broke the record of the ancient Greek athlete Leonid of Rhodes, who won his last 3 gold medals out of 12 for 2168 years before in 152 BC.
Other achievements
At the World Championships in Melbourne in 2007, Phelps won 7 gold medals, while setting 5 world records. At the 2009 World Championships in Rome, Phelps won 5 gold medals and 1 silver, setting 4 world records (2 in individual events and 2 as part of the USA relay team). In 2011, at the World Championships in Shanghai, he won 4 gold, 2 silver and 1 bronze (interestingly, bronze became the first medal of this dignity for Phelps in his rich collection of awards from the World Championships).
Phelps is a 50-time U.S. champion in individual events and relays in 2001-2010. At the same time, he also won three US championships, where distances are measured in yards.
8 times (2003, 2004, 2006-2009, 2012, 2016) he was recognized as the best swimmer of the year in the world, being the absolute record holder for this indicator.
9 times (2001-2004, 2006-2009, 2012) Phelps was recognized as the best swimmer of the year in the USA.
