Michael Fred Phelps II was born
on June 30, 1985, in Baltimore, Maryland. He began swimming at a very young
age, following in the footsteps of his father Fred, an all-around athlete, and
his two elder sisters, Hilary and Whitney, who showed early promise as
swimmers. Young Michael first mastered the backstroke due to his hesitancy
about having his face in the water.
Michael Phelps is one of the most successful American swimmers, with record breaking speed and accolades, including 8 gold medals in the 2008 summer Olympics.
SWIMMING ACHIEVEMENT
·
2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan – 1st: 200m butterfly
·
2003 World Championships in Barcelona, Spain - 1st: 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley, 400m individual medley,
4x100m medley relay; 2nd: 100m butterfly, 4x200m freestyle relay
·
2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece - 1st: 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley, 400m
individual medley, 4x100m medley relay, 4x200m freestyle relay;3rd: 4x100m freestyle relay, 200m freestyle
·
2004 World Championships in Indianapolis, IN – 1st: 200m freestyle
·
2005 World Championships in Montreal, Canada – 1st: 200m freestyle, 200m individual medley, 4x100m medley relay,
4x100m freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay; 2nd: 100m butterfly
·
2007 World Championships in Melbourne,
Australia – 1st: 4x100 m
freestyle relay, 4x200m freestyle relay, 200m freestyle, 200m butterfly, 200m
individual medley, 100m butterfly, 400m individual medley
MICHAEL PHELPS COACHED BY BOB BOWMAN
In 1996, Michael Phelps met his
coach, Bob Bowman, after he started training at the North Baltimore Aquatic
Club at the Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center. Recognizing the
11-year-old's talents and fierce sense of competition, Bob Bowman took him
under his wing and they began an intense training regime together, often
working out up to 10 times per week.
By 1999, Michael Phelps had made
the U.S. National B Team. At the Olympic Trials in 2000, he placed second,
securing a spot on the U.S. Olympic Swim Team at the age of 14. While he failed
to make much of a splash at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, he
would soon begin to break world records on his way to becoming a major force in
competitive swimming.
MICHAEL PHELPS SETS WORLD RECORDS
During the spring of 2001,
Michael Phelps became the youngest male swimmer in history to ever set a world
record when he broke the previous one in the 200-meter butterfly. Not long
after achieving that milestone, he established a new record in the same event
in Fukuoka, Japan, during the 2001 World Championships. With a time of 1:54.58,
he also earned his first international medal. He decided to forfeit college to
turn pro, as sponsors such as Speedo signed him to lucrative endorsement deals.
Michael Phelps continued to set
new marks at the 2002 U.S. Summer Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Florida,
establishing the U.S. record in the 100-meter butterfly and the 200-meter
individual medley, and setting a new world record for the 400-meter individual
medley. The following year, with a time of 4:09.09, the swimmer established
another new world record in the same event.
Shortly after graduating from
Towson High School in the spring of 2003, the 17-year-old set five world
records, including the 200-meter individual medley at the World Championships
in Barcelona, Spain. At the U.S. Summer Nationals in College Park, Maryland,
Michael Phelps became the first male swimmer to win five national titles in a
single meet.
He kicked off the 2004 season by
winning five gold medals at the Conoco Phillips National Championships. During
trials for the 2004 U.S. Olympic team, he once again established a world record
in the 400-meter individual medley when he was clocked at 4:08.41.
MICHAEL PHELPS AT THE 2004
OLYMPIC GAMES
Michael Phelps became a mini
media sensation going into the 2004 Athens Olympics, as he was heavily hyped to
beat legendary swimmer Mark Spitz's record-setting seven gold-medal wins at the
1972 Munich Olympics. With a chance to compete in eight separate events, some
of his teammates wondered aloud whether he was allowed automatic berth to the
100-meter freestyle team to further the "media circus" hype.
On August 14, 2004, Michael
Phelps scored Olympic gold for the first time and also broke his own world record
in the 400-meter individual medley, shaving 0.15 seconds off his previous mark.
Six days later, he beat teammate Ian Crocker in the 100-meter butterfly final
by 0.04 seconds. As part of the American medley team that set a world record in
the 4x100-meter medley relay, he received a gold medal along with his
teammates.
Michael Phelps fell short of
matching Mark Spitz's accomplishment when he took bronze in the 200-meter
freestyle, and also had to settle for a bronze medal in the 4x100-meter
freestyle relay as the result of a poor performance from Ian Crocker. He did
manage to collect six gold medals at the Games, with a grand total of eight to
his name, matching the previous record for most medals won by an individual in
a single Olympics set by Aleksandr Dityatin in 1980.
Watch Michael Phelps Swimming Video
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