When he debuted on Olympic Games. In Sydney, he competed only in the 200-meter butterfly, where he took fifth place.
23 gold medals Phelps won. This is an Olympics record. For comparison, Larisa Latynina, who came second, won only 18 awards, nine of which were of the highest value.
28 Olympic medals Available in the collection of Michael Phelps. In addition to the record amount of gold, he has three silvers and two bronzes.
29 individual world records set by Michael Phelps, seven of them have not yet been beaten. He performed most successfully at distances of 200 meters butterfly and 200 and 400 meters medley (eight world records each). The American relay with Michael Phelps in its composition won the world record 10 more times.
August 13, 2008. Beijing. Michael PHELPS sets one of his world records in the 200m butterfly. Photo by REUTERS
4 gold Phelps won three events in the program. At a distance of 200 meters medley and in the 4x200 freestyle and 4x100 medley relay races.
In 2001 Phelps won his first world championship, becoming the best in the 200-meter butterfly.
8 gold medals Phelps won at his most successful Olympics in Beijing. He had no equal in the 100- and 200-meter butterfly, the 200- and 400-meter medley, the 200-meter freestyle, and all three relay events.
In 2004 A street in his hometown was named after Michael Phelps Baltimore.
IN 9 disciplines Phelps won awards at international competitions. In addition to eight Beijing golds, he also has a Pacific Games silver in the backstroke. But at distances of 100 and 400 meters freestyle at the 2005 World Championships, Phelps did not reach medals.
2 years Phelps missed, taking a break from his sports career. In 2014, he returned to big swimming and began preparing for the Olympics in Rio..
Michael Phelps at the Swimmer of the Year Award. Photo by REUTERS
7 times Phelps received the Swimmer of the Year Award. In 2003, 2004, 2006-2009 and 2012. He was recognized as the best swimmer of the year in the USA nine times (2001-2004, 2006-2009, 2012).
2 major tournaments Phelps lost in the 200-meter individual medley. At the 2011 World Championships, his compatriot Ryan Lochte overtook him with a world record, and at the 2014 Pacific Games, Japanese Kosuke Hagino.
Where did the career of the best swimmer in human history begin and how did it develop?
1985. Born in the final resting place of the writer Edgar Allan Poe, that is, in Baltimore. Michael's father played American football, then became a police patrolman, and his mother worked as a school teacher.
1991-1996. At the age of six, Michael went to swimming school. A little later, his parents divorced, and the guy was diagnosed with attention deficit disorder and hyperactivity. I had to study at a special school for unusual children. In 1996, a fateful meeting took place between Phelps and Bob Bowman, coach of a swimming team from Napa (California). A sensitive psychologist managed to find an approach to a talented but problematic boy. He forced his ward to swim 90 kilometers in a week, constantly offering motivating bets.
“In 2003, I told Phelps: if you break the world record, I’ll shave my head. It turned out that baldness suits me.”
2000 . Michael set his first world record three years earlier. He was only 15 and became the youngest record-breaking swimmer in history. After such a dizzying success, the guy could afford to leave correctional teachers in the past, loudly slamming the door.
Phelps qualified for the Sydney Olympics, but was still too young to win a medal. But I saw the triumph of my idol - Australian Ian Thorpe.
2004. Four years later, Phelps arrived at the tournament as a world champion. Having inhaled all his huge light breezes from the Aegean Sea and settled in the same room with Odessa resident Leonid (Lenny) Kraiselburg, the swimmer won 6 gold and 2 bronze medals. It became clear that a clear leader had emerged in the world of blue carpets and Speedo caps.
That's when Phelps's dark side first made itself known. The police arrested him for drunk driving. The champion got off with a fine and an 18-month suspended sentence.
2007 . At the ESPY Awards, Phelps meets future Miss California winner Nicole Johnson. They have been together ever since. In addition to several periods, during one of which the swimmer, according to yellow press reports, started an affair with a transsexual (they met on Tinder).
2008 . Legendary Olympics! Phelps swam eight gold medals and two world records. Thus, he beat the achievement of his compatriot Mark Spitz, who in 1972 won 7 gold medals at the Games in Munich, marred by a terrible terrorist attack. Phelps gave a million dollars in prize money to create his own foundation, which deals with the issue of water conservation and popularizes swimming.
"I was emotionally devastated. I didn't want to do it anymore. For these 4 years I missed at least 2 workouts a week. Why? I just didn't want to go."
Bowman tried to lure Phelps into the pool by inviting his friends there. It helped at times. Shortly before the start of the Games, the athlete and the coach had a huge fight, and Phelps disappeared for ten days. When he returned, Bowman immediately took him to training camp so that he would not disappear or shirk his classes.
2009 . Phelps was photographed at a party on college campus. The photo clearly shows the face of an athlete smoking marijuana from glass fixture(bonga). The swimmer did not deny it and confessed, saying, yes, he smoked. Despite the fact that the anti-doping committee does not prohibit “green parties” between competitions, the athlete was disqualified for 3 months in his homeland. For a bad example for the younger generation, so to speak. Either Michael was offended, or he read “Fight Club” and decided to go against the system, but very soon after the incident he was caught evading taxes in the amount of 24 thousand dollars.
2012. Before Elizabeth the Second had time to rejoice at the end of the Games in London, a scandal broke out. Despite the fact that Olympians do not have the right to participate in commercial events not related to the Games, the first three days after their end, Louis Vuitton published an advertising photo shoot of Phelps and Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. The International Olympic Committee was angry with the athlete, but Phelps’s representatives quickly settled everything, complaining that the photos were posted without his consent.
At the tournament itself, Michael performed worse than in Beijing, taking “only” four gold medals. Soon he announced his retirement.
2013. Without swimming, the athlete became bored. One day, after getting very drunk on vacation with friends, he called Bowman and said in a slurred voice that he had decided to return. The coach said no and hung up. He still had nightmares about Michael’s preparation for London and knew that the athlete had gained 10 kilograms and was practically “not drying out.”
2014. One quiet night, Phelps played poker, fueled himself generously with alcohol, and then got behind the wheel of a white Range Rover to fully press the gas pedal to the floor, swerving along the road. Luckily it was Monday, the roads were empty, and the police in the USA were attentive.
The Institute of Law and Order treated the swimmer with patriotic tenderness, but he himself was on the verge of suicide. Michael told his family and friends about this problem. They listened and treated him like a rock star: they sent him to a rehabilitation clinic. Phelps spent 45 days in The Meadows and came out, by his own admission, much more peaceful.
And he also wanted to get to Rio at all costs. The champion met with the coach and this time convinced him. Michael worked out with such mania that other athletes unanimously stated: “Now he looks better than ever.”
2015. In February, Michael and Nicole were returning from her grandmother's funeral. At some point, a John Legend song started playing in the car, the swimmer, at the speed of his best swim, took out a ring and invited his beloved to marry him. She agreed, and the wedding date was set after the end of the Rio Games.
2016. Phelps became the face of the cool and powerful brand Under Armor from his hometown of Baltimore.
And also a father. In May, Nicole gave birth to his son, Bummer Robert Phelps.
Phelps had the honor of carrying the U.S. flag at the opening ceremony of the Rio Games and has already won five gold medals. Now he has 27 Olympic medals, 23 of them- gold. ESPN journalist Bill Barnwell joked about this, saying that Phelps is the 39th country in the ranking of the most successful teams in the history of the Olympic Games. In addition, he now has another record to his name. At the age of 31, swimmers had not yet won individual heats at the Olympics. In general, the demonstration of how one person rewrites the entire history is obvious.
By the way, those who want to win the Tokyo Games in 2020, don’t worry. Michael said that after Rio he will definitely end his career and devote time to his family.
Swimmer Michael Phelps is the most decorated athlete in human history. American phenomenon - twenty-three times Olympic champion. In total, Phelps’ collection includes twenty-eight Olympic medals and twenty-six gold medals won at the world championships.
Born 06/30/1985
Achievements:
- The absolute record holder in the history of the Olympic Games for the number of gold medals (23) and the total number of medals (28).
- 13-time Olympic champion in individual distances (Athens 2004 - 200 and 400 m medley, 100 and 200 m butterfly, Beijing 2008 - 200 and 400 m medley, 100 and 200 m butterfly, 200 m freestyle, London- 2012 – 200 m medley, 100 m butterfly, Rio de Janeiro 2016 – 200 m medley, 200 m butterfly).
- 10-time Olympic champion in relay races (Athens 2004 - 4x200 m freestyle, 4x100 m medley, Beijing 2008 - 4x100 and 4x200 m freestyle, 4x100 m medley, London- 2012 – 4×200 m freestyle, 4×100 m combined styles, Rio de Janeiro 2016 – 4×100 and 4×200 m freestyle, 4×100 m combined styles).
- 26-time world champion.
- Holder of 37 world records.
- World swimmer of the year in 2003, 2004, 2006-2009, 2012.
- US Swimmer of the Year 2001-2004, 2006-2009, 2012.
From fidget to Team USA
Phelps began swimming at the age of seven, joining the section with his sisters. From early childhood, Michael was not like other children; doctors even diagnosed him with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. Being restless, he needed somewhere to put his energy, so the pool for the boy was very useful.
In the section, Phelps quickly attracted the attention of the coach, who took the new student seriously. Michael regularly updates US records among children and youth for all ages and becomes a candidate for the main team. The young swimmer goes to his first Olympics in Sydney and becomes fifth in the 200-meter butterfly. And this at fifteen years old!
Phelps’s first victory at the adult level came a year later, at the 2001 World Championships, after which the American came to the attention of fans, who two years later began to admire Michael. And there was a reason for it - Phelps showed himself to be a multi-station athlete at the World Championships in Barcelona, becoming the champion in the 200-meter butterfly, and also winning both medley events. It is impossible not to note the versatility of the American - to his victories in individual swims, he adds gold as part of the medley relay.
Sixfold
It is obvious that Athens 2004 will be the finest hour of the swimmer who quickly broke into the world elite. And so it happened - Phelps won six gold medals, winning two victories each in his profile distances, butterfly and medley, plus he twice became a champion in the relay races - 4x200 m freestyle and medley.
But that’s not all - Michael won bronze in the most stellar swim of the Olympics - the 200-meter freestyle, imposing a serious fight on Van den Hoogenband. Sometimes it felt like Phelps didn’t get out of the pool - the next qualification was replaced by the final swim and vice versa.
At the 2005 World Championships, Phelps allows himself a little “rest” by reducing the number of disciplines. Michael took home four gold medals from Montreal. Melbourne is another matter. At the 2007 world championships, Phelps decided to hold a dress rehearsal for the Beijing Olympics. Seven finals – seven victories – one hundred percent result! To two victories in the butterfly, medley and relay races, Michael added success in the 200-meter freestyle.
Fourteenfold
Definitely, Phelps becomes the best swimmer in the world, and now everyone is worried about two questions - will Michael overtake Mark Spitz in the number of victories at one Olympics (the legendary American swimmer became a seven-time champion of Munich 1972) and will he become the most titled Olympian in history? Michael answers both questions in China positively, winning eight gold medals. Phelps becomes a champion in all types of programs in which he took part - this is fantastic!
Michael Phelps - 2008 Olympic winner After the grandiose triumph, Phelps slows down somewhat at the 2009 World Championships in Rome - having refused to compete in the complex, Michael takes “only” two golds in the butterfly in individual swims, but with world records. Two years later in Shanghai, Phelps traditionally wins both butterfly heats and again takes the start in the medley (200 m) - however, he is content with silver, as in the 200-meter freestyle.
Eighteenfold
It is clear that Phelps will no longer be able to stay at the level of Beijing at the London Olympics. Somewhere he lowered the demands on himself, perhaps his age began to tell - Phelps did not enter the 200-meter freestyle. Therefore, he does not plan to repeat his Beijing triumph. London brought Michael four golds: in two relay races - medley and 4x200 m/c, as well as in the short butterfly and medley - 100 and 200 meters, respectively. For the first time since 2000, Phelps did not become the champion in the 200-meter butterfly, and in the 400-meter medley he finished fourth.
Shortly after London, Phelps announced his retirement from sports. This decision seemed logical - he is the best swimmer in history, having conquered incredible heights. Michael's rivals breathed a sigh of relief - now the path to the podium is open. They are diligently preparing for the 2016 Olympics, competing for medals at the World Championships, but in 2014 they learn that Phelps is returning to the sport and plans to dive into the pool again in Rio de Janeiro in order to leave it after the Olympic Games.
Twenty-three times
Phelps arrives in Rio as a dark horse - no one knows what the American multi-champion is capable of. The first preliminary swims show that Phelps is ready and will again fight for gold in all swims. In Brazil, Michael decided to further shorten his performance program by removing the 400 m medley from it. But at a distance half as long, Phelps became the champion for the fourth time in a row - unique case!
Michael also won his fourth Olympic gold medals in two of his favorite relays - the medley and 4x200 m freestyle. In the half-short relay, the Americans regained their champion status, lost in London - Phelps, as usual, in the champion four. In the butterfly, Michael recovers from 2012 in the 200 m, but in the 100 m he comes second.
Having won five gold medals in Brazil and becoming a twenty-three-time Olympic champion, Phelps announces his retirement from the sport, this time permanently. It costs a lot to walk away a winner; leaving as a champion, only to return, surprising the world again, and leaving swimming is an act worth bowing to.
It is unknown whether a person will appear on earth who can break Michael’s record for the number of Olympic victories, but today it is clear that this athlete will be from another planet, because Phelps left such a mark in history that cannot be surpassed to an ordinary person obviously not possible.
Project partner
The most decorated athlete in the history of the Olympics, swimmer Michael Phelps, who during his entire career won 22 gold medals at the Games and Leonid of Rhodes 2000 years ago for the most Olympic victories in individual competitions, was content with silver at the 2016 Games in the 100 m butterfly.
This result is notable not only because Phelps had never previously lost the 100-meter butterfly final at the Olympics, but also because of those who took the gold from him.
The offender of the legendary American was a boy from Singapore, who eight years ago at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing considered it lucky to be photographed with his idol, and now he is pushing him away from Olympus. Here is a joint photo of the 23-year-old hero of the Beijing Olympics and his ardent 13-year-old fan:
Joseph Schooling qualified with the top time for 100m butterfly final, will race vs Phelps, who he met as a child pic.twitter.com/gfivuaE00N
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 12, 2016
The Beijing Olympics became the most successful for then 23-year-old Michael Phelps, who won gold in all 8 (!) disciplines in which he participated. And even then, 13-year-old Joseph Isaac Shuling from Singapore firmly decided that he wanted to become the same as Phelps.
But it’s one thing to want, and another thing to be able to do so and not forget about a childhood dream. And to surpass a previously unattainable idol at a distance - this is completely similar to the plot of a Hollywood fairy tale. But the stubborn Singaporean proved that dreams do come true, beating the legendary Phelps by almost a second (0.75) and setting an Olympic record (50.39 seconds). By the way, the unusual thing about this final 100m butterfly race is that the silver medalists were three swimmers who showed the same time - the famous Phelps and two more celebrities - Chad le Clos (South Africa) and Laszlo Csech (Hungary).
The loser was 31-year-old Michael Phelps and 21-year-old winner Joseph Schuling. Photo: Reuters
21-year-old Shuling won his first Olympic gold in Rio, although these Games are not his first - he made his debut at the age of 17 in London 2012. True, it's there best result became 26th place. But a couple of years later they started talking about him in a different tone - he won the 2014 Asian Games, and then won bronze at the 2015 World Championships in Kazan.
It is unlikely that anyone will now undertake to predict what peaks lie ahead for the young Asian swimmer and how close he will be able to get to Phelps’ fantastic achievements. Moreover, Phelps has not yet said his last word. On Saturday night, he will compete in the 4x100-meter medley relay as part of the US team and can improve his already “eternal” record for the number of Olympic gold medals, which could be 23...
Date of birth: June 30, 1985
Place of birth: Baltimore (USA)
Location:
Height: 1.93 m
Weight: 88 kg
Specialization: 100, 200 m butterfly, 200 and 400 m freestyle, 100, 200, 400 m full, 100 and 200 m back
Athletic Club: North Baltimore AC, formerly Wolverine
Coach(es): Bob Bowman
Website: www.michaelphelps.comOlympic Games 2000 Sydney 5th place 200m butterfly
Fukuoka World Championships gold 200m butterfly
2003 World Cup Barcelona gold 200 m butterfly, 200 and 400 m freestyle and 4x100 m medley relay, silver 100 m butterfly and 4x200 m relay
European Championship 2004 (short course) Vienna
2004 World Championships (short course) Indianapolis gold 200 m butterfly
Olympic Games 2004 Athens gold 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 4x200m free relay and 4x100 medley, bronze in 200m freestyle and 4x100m free relay
2005 World Cup Montreal gold 200 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle and in relays 4x100 m freestyle, 4x200 m freestyle, medley 4x100 m, silver 100 m butterfly
World Cup 2006 (short course) Shanghai
World Championships 2007 Melbourne gold 200 m freestyle, 100 and 200 m butterfly, 200 and 400 m freestyle and relays 4x100 m freestyle, 4x200 m freestyle
World Cup 2008 (short course) Manchester
Olympic Games 2008 Beijing gold 400 m freestyle, 200 m butterfly, 200 m freestyle, 200 m freestyle, 100 m butterfly, as well as in the 4x100 m freestyle relay, combined 4x100 m and 4x200 meters freestyle
European Championship 2008 (short course) RijekaAdditional Information:
Multiple world champion and record holder, 14-time Olympic champion!!! The best swimmer of all time.
Swimming idol: Pablo Morales
Nickname: Baltimore Bullet
Favorite Quote: Actions speak louder than words.
Favorite music: The Fray, rap
Favorite hero: Michael Jordan and mom
Favorite book: Taking Down the HouseHis father Fred Phelps was a police officer, his mother Debbie Phelps worked as a teacher. In 1994, his parents divorced, and the children began to live with their mother, with whom Michael still has a very close relationship. Michael began swimming at age 7 when his two older sisters, Whitney (born 1978) and Hilary (born 1980), were accepted onto the local swim team. Until the age of 12, he simultaneously played baseball and American football. As a child, little Phelps had serious health problems (distracted attention disorder, a type of autism), due to which the boy suffered greatly. He couldn’t concentrate, constantly bumped into everything around him, knocked over the objects around him, causing laughter from his peers and developing more and more complexes, but swimming lessons helped him eradicate his illness (although some do not agree with this, since it is believed that this disease is chronic, and medications and therapy can only partially relieve symptoms).
Michael met his coach, Bob Bowman, while training at the North Baltimore Swim Club. Bob immediately recognized Michael's potential and became his coach, who still trains him today. At age 15, Michael Phelps became the youngest Olympic competitor in American swimming history. He participated with the American team in the Olympic Games in Sydney (2000), although he came only fifth there. In the spring of 2001, Phelps set a world record in the 200-meter butterfly and became the youngest swimmer in history to set a world record. He was then 15 years and 9 months old. He later broke his record at the 2001 World Swimming Championships with a time of 1:54:58, earning his first international medal.
Phelps became a celebrity after the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, where he earned 8 medals (6 of them gold). Thus, he repeated the record of Russian gymnast Alexander Dityatin for the total number of medals received in one Olympics, set by Dityatin in 1980. In 2004, Bob Bowman transferred to Michigan, and Michael went with him. He entered the University of Michigan to study Sports Marketing and Management, continuing to train under the guidance of his coach.
Having won 8 gold medals at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing (in addition to 6 golds won at the 2004 Olympics in Athens), Phelps became the most titled among all athletes in all sports, in addition, he broke Mark Spitz's record for the most gold medals won at one Olympics. For this achievement, he received $1 million from his sponsor, Speedo. True, the record might not have happened; at the 100 m butterfly distance, the photo finish showed that Milorad Čavić was the first to touch the side, but the Omega company (also Phelps’ sponsor) explained that in swimming a photo finish is not used to determine the winner and the main thing is to apply pressure exceeding 3 kg on the sensor, what Phelps did first.
Outside the pool, Phelps lives the same life as everyone else. He enjoys playing golf and Halo 3 on the computer, watching TV, listening to hip-hop, and eating popcorn. He spends his free time with his friends and his English bulldog Herman.
At the beginning of 2009, he was caught smoking marijuana and was disqualified for 3 months.
Phelps' personal life is a mystery. When Michael became an honorary judge of the Miss America 2005 contest, he was credited with a romantic relationship with almost every participant he smiled at, but these stories had no continuation. Now the Internet is flooded with gossip about Michael’s unconventional sexual orientation, but these guesses have not been confirmed either. He is still not married, although he claims that he really wants to find his one and only (apparently with the number of fans who surround him, this is really very difficult to do).
