[60] However, in the final of the 100-meter butterfly, on July 26, Ian Crocker erased Phelps's world record with a time of 50.98, to become the first man under 51 seconds. [190], On the first day of competition at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Phelps opted out swimming in the final of the 200-meter freestyle to focus on the 200-meter butterfly. Michael Phelps set out with the goal "to change the sport of swimming.". Persistence, money and. Swimmer Michael Phelps has won 28 Olympic medals, more than anyone in history. [139][140] He followed that up in the final by winning the gold medal, as well as breaking his previous world record by nearly two seconds. [66] Two days later, in the 200-meter freestyle, Phelps won with a time of 1:46.27, finishing sixth-tenths of a second ahead of Klete Keller. [24], Phelps began swimming at the age of seven, partly because of the influence of his sisters and partly to provide him with an outlet for his energy. I'm finished. At age seven, Phelps was still "a little scared" to put his head underwater, so his instructors allowed him to float around on his back. In January 2018, Phelps delivered an eye-opening account of his battles with depression at the fourth annual conference of the Kennedy Forum, abehavioral health advocacy group. He tied Spitzs record by winning the 100-metre butterfly final by 0.01 second and broke the mark as a member of the victorious American 4 100-metre medley relay team. [186][187] In the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps finished second to Lochte 1:55.94 to 1:54.84. [239], After the 2008 Olympics, Phelps used his $1million Speedo bonus to set up the Michael Phelps Foundation. As the lead-off leg in the 4100-meter freestyle relay, Phelps set the championship record in the 100-meter freestyle with a time of 48.13. [198] This was Phelps's first bronze in a World Aquatics Championships. As reported in February of 2009, 23-year-old Michael . [217][218] "Honestly, my first thought when I saw the shark was, 'There's very little chance for me to beat him,'" Phelps said. ESPN has put Phelps top swimming speed at 6 miles per hour. They haven't always been good times but I've learned from them. In the 4200-meter freestyle relay, Phelps, with Peter Vanderkaay, Ricky Berens, and Lochte, finished first ahead of Japan and Australia. [43] While he did not win a medal, he did make the finals and finished fifth in the 200-meter butterfly. But the road to being the world's greatest swimmer did not come easy and is full of weak moments that has led to his two driving under the influence charges (DUIs) and his famous bong incident. Phelps married Nicole Johnson on June 13, 2016. Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 48.08, the second-best lead-off in the field behind James Magnussen's 47.49. [200], In his fourth event, the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps again finished second to Lochte in a personal best of 1:54.16, which was 0.16 behind Lochte who swam a new world record. 23 is astonishing. This was Phelps's 4th consecutive gold medal in the event as well as his 4th in the Games. [194] On day three of the competition, Phelps competed in the 100-meter butterfly and contributed in the 4100-meter freestyle relay. He claimed five medals at the 2002 Pan Pacific championships, including three gold (200-metre and 400-metre individual medley [IM] and 4 100-metre medley relay). However at a final training camp in Atlanta a week before heading to Rio, Phelps put out "the fourth-fastest flat-start time of the year" in a 100 free time trial, automatically securing one of the seven spots on the Men's 4 100 metre freestyle relay for the Olympics. [199] In his third final, the 200-meter butterfly, he won his first gold medal with a time of 1:53.34 to become the first swimmer to win five gold medals in one discipline at the World Aquatics Championships. Phelps argued his program was too crowded to compete in 100-meter freestyle and was at least among the top four swimmers because he had beaten the top-seeded Jason Lezak the last time he had swum against him. [134] In his fourth event, the 200-meter butterfly, Phelps won with a time of 1:52.20. And 24 years in the sport. Why did Michael choose swimming? Phelps went on to compete in the 200-meter individual medley, an event dubbed "the Duel in the Pool" because he faced off against friend, teammate and rival Ryan Lochte, the world record holder in the race. Phelps' top swimming speed has been . [69] After two days off, Phelps was back in the pool and finished second to Aaron Peirsol (who broke the world record) in the 200-meter backstroke. [131] [224] He was accompanied by fiance Nicole Johnson and son Boomer. The couple was married in a private ceremony in Paradise Valley, Arizona, although their wedding was kept secret until TMZ broke the news in October 2016. For other people named Michael Phelps, see, International long-course competition results, first-place finishes at any single Olympic Games, List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games, List of multiple Summer Olympic medalists, List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games, List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event, List of top Olympic gold medalists in swimming, List of individual gold medalists in swimming at the Olympics and World Aquatics Championships (men), World record progression 100 metres butterfly, World record progression 200 metres butterfly, World record progression 200 metres freestyle, World record progression 200 metres individual medley, World record progression 400 metres individual medley, World record progression 4 100 metres freestyle relay, World record progression 4 200 metres freestyle relay, World record progression 4 100 metres medley relay, "Michael Phelps Biography: Swimming, Athlete (1985)", "Michael Phelps: 30 medals in Tokyo? Most gold medals won at a single FINA World Championships (individual). "I've been able to do everything I've ever put my mind to in this sport. At the 2016 Olympic Games, he won one silver and five gold medals, becoming the oldest individual gold medalist in Olympic swimming history, as well as the first swimmer to win four consecutive golds in the same event, the 200-meter individual medley. "[175] Phelps rebounded from this loss and for his third race, the 200-meter butterfly, Phelps won the gold and broke his own world record of 1:52.03 with a time of 1:51.51. Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 48.42 seconds and Neil Walker, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak each expanded the lead to win in a Championship record of 3:12.72, just missing the world record of 3:12.46 set the previous year. Phelps and Johnson have three sons:Boomer Robert (b. Who's the next kid coming in? Phelps, 37, shared several throwback photos on Monday, Oct. 24, of himself with his dad . In the 200-meter freestyle, Phelps won ahead of Ryan Lochte in a time of 1:45.61. [144] Teammate Jason Lezak, after beginning the anchor leg more than half a body length behind Alain Bernard, managed to finish ahead of the favored French swimmer by eight hundredths of a second. In the final for the medley relay, Phelps swam a 51.1 split, at the time the fastest split in history. Upon finishing, the most decorated Olympian in history received a standing ovation from the crowd. His large frame, broad shoulders and big feet, which act like fins in the water, made his body the perfect fit for swimming. I was probably eating anywhere between like 8 to 10 [thousand] probably at my peak where I was really growing. Phelps is the long course world record holder in the men's 400-meter individual medley as well as the former long course world record holder in the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, and 200-meter individual medley. They did not swim the 100 meters side by side but rather individually in the same open water, with CGI images of the sharks displayed alongside Phelps as he raced. Phelps has also received the following awards: Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. I'm in a better state of mind this time than I was four years ago.". His then-girlfriend Nicole Johnson, their baby, Boomer, and Phelps' mother Debbie watched the Olympic legend break history from the stands in Rio. With his 6'4" height, that's wider than he is tall! Thats all I can do. Phelps said he lost because he did not take butterfly training seriously after he broke the world record. I'm happy about it. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. However, in June 2017, he cleared up his eating habits: Dont believe everything you read. I dont think either one of us has real expectations other than to have fun, see what happens and go from there. He currently practices at Terra Nova Counseling. However, he gave some indication of a possible return in July 2013 and would not rule out a possible Olympic bid for the 2016 summer games. The final time of 3:33.48 was a world record. Michael started swimming at age 7. . Phelpss retirement was short-lived, as he announced his return to competitive swimming in April 2014. Unlike all six of his previous events in the 2008 Games, Phelps did not set a new world record, leaving intact Ian Crocker's world-record time of 50.40 seconds, set in 2005. The following article was. Minnesota Age Group Championships March 22, 2018; MN ROC Vince Herring Classic Invitational Feb. 16, 2018; WI SSTY Schroeder YMCA A+ Feb. 2, 2018; MN FOXJ Winter Classic Jan. 19 . [243] At age 31, the victory made Phelps not only the oldest male champion,[244] but also the oldest individual champion in Olympic swimming history,[245] beating the records set by Duke Kahanamoku in 1920, and Inge de Bruijn in 2004 respectively. Phelps competed in his first Olympics at the age of 15, as part of the U.S. men's swim team. In December 2015 at the Winter Nationals in Federal Way, Phelps won titles in the same three events, again in long course, bringing his career total to 62 national titles. [63] Phelps did not swim in the finals, but still earned a medal because he swam in the heats. [185] After the race, Phelps said he was "fairly pleased" with the result. He is widely regarded as the greatest swimmer of all time and is often considered to be one of the greatest athletes of all time. Anybody can do anything that they set their mind to. [58] On July 25, in the final of the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps smashed his own record with a time of 1:56.04 to win the gold medal and finished almost 3 seconds ahead of Ian Thorpe. On Saturday night, the 31-year-old won his record twenty-eight Olympic medal with 23 of them gold. [281][282], At age 19 in November 2004, Phelps was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Salisbury, Maryland. Looks like 23 Olympic gold medals is enough for champion swimmer Michael Phelps. Phelps described the case of Lia Thomas, the UPenn male . The finals of that race featured South Africas Chad le Clos, who had beaten Phelps by five-hundredths of a second in the race at the 2012 Games and who had exchanged verbal barbs with the American over the following four years. Michael Phillips's swimmer profile, including times, results, and more. Four years later, when he won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, he broke fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven first-place finishes at any single Olympic Games. [136] In his sixth and final event, the 100-meter butterfly, Phelps won with a time of 50.89. [61] In the final of the 400-meter individual medley, on July 27, Phelps broke his own world record with a time of 4:09.09 to easily claim the gold medal. )", "Michael Phelps Is Married to Nicole Johnson", "Michael Phelps Just Got Engaged to Former Miss California USA", "Michael Phelps Relishes the Cheer and Challenge of His New Reality", "Phelps baby No. With Lochte, Ricky Berens, and Peter Vanderkaay, he won his fifth gold and set his fifth world record as the American team finished first with a time of 6:58.56. [62] About half an hour later, Phelps earned his final gold medal when the United States team won the 4100-meter medley relay. [242] In the ready room prior to the preliminary race, Le Clos's shadow boxing while Phelps "glowered in a corner" spawned the Internet meme with the hashtag #PhelpsFace. He broke his first world record at the age of 15, less than a year after his first Olympic performance. Omissions? When Phelps' parents divorced in 1994, he and his sisters lived with their mother, with whom Phelps grew very close. In his first event, the 400-meter individual medley, Phelps broke his own world record of 4:06.22 with a time of 4:05.25. Coach Bowman coached Phelps through all five Games, and all 28 medals. More age group records followed, and as of August 21, 2018, Phelps still held 11 age group records, eight in long course,[30] and three in short course. Phelps entered the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing with the goal of breaking Spitzs record of seven gold medals at one Olympics. The athletic great described how he would fall into a state of despair after the highs of his Olympic victories, often seeking to medicate himself through drugs or alcohol. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Michael Fred Phelps II [5] (born June 30, 1985) [6] is an American former competitive swimmer. That's how I've grown up. [124] For his fourth race, the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps set his third world record with a time of 1:54.98, bettering his own world-record time of 1:55.84[125] For his fifth race, the 4200-meter freestyle relay, Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 1:45.36 as the American team of Ryan Lochte, Klete Keller, and Peter Vanderkaay went on to win the gold medal and beat the previous world record set by Australia in 2001 with a time 7:03.24. We're competing to do everything we can to try to win a medal or to try to do our country proud by wearing the stars and stripes on international ground," he told Axelrod. Best Known For: Swimmer Michael Phelps has set the record for winning the most medals, 28, of any Olympic athlete in history. Phelps's international titles and record-breaking performances have earned him the World Swimmer of the Year Award eight times and American Swimmer of the Year Award eleven times, as well as the FINA Swimmer of the Year Award in 2012 and 2016. The two events in Athens, in which Phelps took bronze medals, were 200-meter freestyle and the 4-by-100-meter freestyle relay. [222] Phelps was reportedly motivated by the national team's failure to win the men's 4 100 m freestyle relay since their Beijing 2008 and Rome 2009 titles. [108] Phelps did not swim in the finals but still earned a medal because he swam in the heats. I'm happy with how things finished," he said. Honestly, were kind of taking it day by day. Phelps put up a solid time of 1:46.60 (an American record) but the Americans could not match the depth of the Australians and ultimately finished second 7:10.26 to 7:08.58. The average . Phelps top swimming speed has been clocked in at 6 miles per hour. This article was most recently revised and updated by, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Michael-Phelps, United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee - Team USA - Michael Phelps, Michael Phelps - Children's Encyclopedia (Ages 8-11), Michael Phelps - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). [citation needed] However, Johnny Weissmuller is reported to have broken 67 official world records.[300]. The hammerhead shark swam the distance at 15 miles per hour, while the great white shark swam at a whopping 26 miles per hour. [229], At the US trials in Omaha for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Phelps won the 200 m butterfly (1:54.84), the 200 m individual medley (1:55.91), and the 100 m butterfly (51.00 s) events. Phelps won the gold ahead of Pieter van den Hoogenband and broke Ian Thorpe's six-year-old world record with a time of 1:43.86. "People are talking about it and I think this is the only way that it can change.". [123] For his third race, the 200-meter butterfly, Phelps won the gold and bettered his own world record of 1:53.71 with a time of 1:52.09. [237] Phelps's leg proved to be the decisive factor in the race, and Gilot later remarked "As fast as my teammates were, the extraterrestrial that is Phelps was faster". They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. Michael Phelps is known for being the most decorated Olympian of all time, but the 33-year-old retired swimmer wants to be recognized for something else, too: his willingness to talk about his. Astrological Sign: Cancer. [88] In the 100-meter butterfly final, held the following day, Phelps defeated American teammate Ian Crocker (who held the world record in the event at the time) by just 0.04 seconds with a time of 51.25. Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimming champion, has offered his thoughts on the transgender-swimmer controversy. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. "[161][277], Phelps has also cited Michael Jordan as a sporting idol of his, and stated that "he changed the sport of basketball". "[163], During the 2008 Olympics, Phelps was questioned by the press as to whether perhaps his feats were "too good to be true", a reference to unsupported rumors that Phelps might be taking performance-enhancing substances. He pleaded guilty to driving while impaired, was sentenced to 18 months probation, fined $250, ordered to speak against drinking and driving to high school students, and ordered to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving meeting. He launched his swimming career at the Loyola High School pool. Phelps earned Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award due to his unprecedented Olympic success in the 2008 Games. He beat Kosuke Hagino, the 400 m individual medley champion, by 1.95 seconds. He became the first swimmer to win the same individual event four times, surpassing the previous record of three held by Dawn Fraser and Krisztina Egerszegi. It goes to show you that not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, he's maybe the greatest athlete of all time. "[205][206] However, at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials, the qualifying meet for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Phelps qualified in the same eight events that he swam in Beijing in 2008. ", "Usain Bolt vs. Michael Phelps: Who's The Greatest Olympian Of All Time? [298], In 2017, Phelps joined the board of Medibio, a company focused on diagnosis of mental health disorders. [130] Two days later Phelps swam a time of 53.01 sec in the 100-meter backstroke, 0.03 of a second short of the world record of 52.98 held by Aaron Peirsol and the second-fastest performance of all time. "[26] When Phelps was in the sixth grade, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). [126] For his sixth race, the 100-meter butterfly, Phelps edged out Ian Crocker 50.77 to 50.82 to win his sixth gold medal. He was raised by mother Deborah, alongside his sisters Hilary and Whitney, after his parents divorced. In the fall of 2014, Phelps was arrested again in his hometown of Baltimore, Maryland in September for driving under the influence, speeding and crossing double lines. [51] At a meet in Santa Clara County, California, Phelps broke the world record in the 200-meter individual medley with a time of 1:57.94. For the 2017's Shark Week, Michael Phelps raced several breeds of sharks. Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 1:45.53, the third-best leg in the field. [241] The preliminary and final of that event was heavily hyped as a rematch between Phelps and Le Clos. At the 2008 Games in Beijing, he became the first athlete to win eight gold medals at a single Olympics. [219], After the 2012 Olympics, Phelps retired from swimming, stating: "I'm done. Michael Phelps' wife Nicole opens up about his depression struggles. On August 7, 2016, Phelps clinched his 19th Olympic gold medal in Rio swimming the second leg of the men's 400 freestyle relay. Less than one hour after his gold medal victory in the 200-meter butterfly, Phelps swam the lead-off leg of the 4200-meter freestyle relay. Shortly after completing the semi-finals of the 100-meter butterfly, Phelps competed in the 4200-meter freestyle relay with Peter Vanderkaay, Ricky Berens, and Ryan Lochte. "It'd be good for him if he loses. [54] Phelps broke his first world record on July 22 in the semi-finals for the 200-meter butterfly. [283] He pleaded guilty to driving while impaired and was sentenced to serve 18 months of probation, fined $250, ordered to speak to high school students about drinking and driving, and to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) meeting. After he saw swimmers Tom Malchow and Tom Dolan compete at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Phelps began to dream of becoming a champion. [16][17], Phelps was born in Baltimore, Maryland,[6] and raised in the Rodgers Forge neighborhood of nearby Towson. [209] The next night, in his second event of the Games, he got a silver as a member of the 4100-meter free relay. [257][258][259] Phelps retired from competitive swimming again following the Rio Olympics. Info. Gary Hall, Jr. thought this was unfair and said Phelps did not deserve a spot on the relay. ", "Review: 'Michael Phelps: Push the Limit' for Kinect", "Michael Phelps: Could Legendary Olympic Champion Become Professional Golfer? Best Known As: The swimmer who won a record 28 Olympic medals. When Phelps and his teammates captured the gold, Thorpe gave a congratulatory kiss to Phelps's mother, then gave a handshake and a hug to congratulate Phelps. He is now retired and is married to Nicole, with whom he has three sons, Boomer, Becker, and Maverick. While he didn't win a medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, he would soon become a major force in competitive swimming. r = relay lead-off In his first finals of the Summer Olympics, Phelps placed fourth behind fellow American Ryan Lochte, Thiago Pereira of Brazil, and Kosuke Hagino of Japan in the 400-meter individual medley. At the US Nationals in Indianapolis on August 1, 2007, Phelps swam a 1:54.65 in the 200-meter backstroke, which was the third fastest of all time in the event, 0.33 of a second off the world record of 1:54.32 held by Ryan Lochte. [50] He became the first American swimmer to win three different races in three different strokes at a national championship. [78][79] Crocker's lead-off time of 50.05 was the worst among the field and was blamed on sickness. Then during the U.S. trials for the 2004 Summer Olympics, he broke his own world again in the 400 meter individual medley, with a time of 4:08:41. Phelps has accumulated a total of 28 medals at the Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Beijing, London and Rio 23 gold, three silver and two bronze setting the record for the most medal wins by any Olympic athlete. As the first Olympic swimmer to earn a spot on five Olympic teams and one of the oldest individual swimmer to earn Olympic. Phelps then competed in the 100-meter butterfly, tying for the silver medal with Laszlo Cseh of Hungary and Chad le Clos of South Africa. "[35] After the 2004 Summer Olympics, Bowman was hired as the head coach for the University of Michigan after Jon Urbanchek retired. At the U.S. spring nationals in 2003, he became the first male swimmer to claim titles in three different strokes at a single national championship, and he later broke an unprecedented five individual world records at the world championships in Barcelona, Spain. [296][297] Phelps stated he hoped to work with his Foundation more after retirement from competition following the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. There he added to his unparalleled medal count by winning golds in the 200-metre IM, 4 100-metre medley relay, 4 100-metre freestyle relay, and 4 200-metre freestyle relay as well as a silver in the 100-metre butterfly. [204], For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Phelps originally stated he would never do eight events again, and would instead try new events. He trained with coach Bob Bowman at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and quickly broke multiple age-group records. [152], Before the final of the 100-meter butterfly, US born Serbian swimmer Milorad avi caused a minor stir when he said it would be "good" if Phelps lost. [112] In his third event, the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps won with a time of 1:56.50, just ahead of Ryan Lochte's time of 1:56.78. [274] Thorpe initially said that it would be highly unlikely for Phelps to win eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. [189] In the 200-meter backstroke, Phelps finished in 4th place in 1:56.98. Having completed his improbably dominant comeback at the 2016 Games, he again retired from competitive swimming. "[265], Phelps is an avid golfer, and has competed in numerous amateur and pro-am golf tournaments; he considered becoming a professional golfer after retiring from swimming. In the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps won with a time of 1:59.70. Even though he did not win a medal . At his peak in training, Phelps ate between 8,000 to 10,000 calories per day. "We're competing to represent our country. Coach Bowman was there when Michael made his first Games in the 200 meter butterfly and represented Team USA in Sydney, Australia, and when he became the youngest swimmer ever to break a world record, winning the 200 meter butterfly at the 2001 World Championship Trials.
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