Michael Phelps. Biography. Photo. Personal life

Personal data

• Name: Michael
• Last name: Phelps
• Date of Birth: 30.05.1985
• Place of birth: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
• Occupation: swimmer
• Height: 193 cm
• Weight: 91 kg

Michael Phelps can, without any doubt, be called a legendary athlete, not only in his swimming discipline, but also in the sports world as a whole. He is the owner of so many awards that it is difficult to count them. His main achievement, of course, is considered to be the title of 23-time Olympic champion, the only one in history.

Photo by Michael Phelps

The path to the Olympic podium

Michael Fred Phelps began his swimming lessons at the age of 7. The boy got into this sport by watching his two older sisters, who were involved in the local team. Michael's parents divorced when he was nine years old. The father married for the second time six years later, the children lived with their mother. Michael has maintained a very warm relationship with her to this day.

Mom is Michael's most devoted fan

By the age of ten, the young swimmer had already become a US record holder in his age group. At the same time, he began training under the wing of coach Bob Bowman. This is a rare case when an athlete did not change his mentor throughout his entire sports career; it was Bowman who helped him become a sports legend.

From the age of 10, Michael showed excellent results

Phelps first took part in the Olympic Games in 2000. The Sydney Olympics was the only one in which a swimmer did not make it to the podium. However, the fifteen-year-old athlete became the youngest American swimmer to qualify for the Olympics. He declared himself and then the treasury of his achievements was continuously replenished. Not even sixteen years old, Phelps was able to set a world record at the World Cup and became the youngest record holder. In subsequent championships, the swimmer continued to prove that he is the best in the world and repeatedly broke his own records.

"Baltimore Bullet"

Michael was born in the American city of Baltimore in 1985. He has been in the pool since he was 7 years old, and not at all because the future champion demonstrated any outstanding abilities since childhood. Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, sports were an attempt to teach Michael how to concentrate and relieve stress. It really helped.

True, Michael suffered from one phobia... He could not put his face in the water, so he swam on his back. But gradually, with the help of coach Bob Bowman, we managed to overcome this. And also help the boy concentrate on achievements and victories, and believe in himself (this can be a problem for children with ADHD). Already at the age of 10, Michael set a national record for his age, and at the age of 15 he participated in his first Olympics.

World Championships

It's hard to count how many times this guy came out on top. He conquered world championships one after another, and time after time he was recognized in the country and the world as “swimmer of the year.” Michael Phelps has 37 world championship records in the long course (29 personal and 8 among relay participants), 2 in the short course relay. He conquered water courses mainly by swimming in the butterfly style and medley swimming.

Phelps often wears headphones to the start line.

• World Cup 2007, Melbourne: 7 gold medals, five world records;
• World Cup 2009, Rome: 5 medals of the highest standard, 1 silver, four world records;
• World Cup 2011, Shanghai: 4 gold awards, 2 silver, 1 bronze.

Naturally, being a world-class athlete, Michael Phelps has repeatedly proven in his own country that he has no equal. He became the US champion fifty times (in individual swims and relays), and was recognized as “swimmer of the year” in the States 9 times.

Phelps, Michael

Eight-time Olympic champion in Beijing 2008
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 15-year-old Phelps became the youngest U.S. Olympic swimmer in 68 years. He competed only in the 200-meter butterfly and took fifth place in the final (0.33 seconds separated Phelps from bronze).

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, 19-year-old Phelps won eight medals, six gold and two bronze, while setting three Olympic records and one world record. In addition, eight medals at one Olympics 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 every event he competed in and won eight gold medals, breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics, also making him a 14-time Olympic champion. Thus, beating Finnish athlete Paavo Nurmi, American athlete Carl Lewis and his fellow American Mark Spitz, he became the most titled athlete in the history of the modern Olympic Games.

At the London 2012 Olympic Games, Phelps surpassed all athletes in all sports in total number of Olympic medals - 22 medals, breaking the record of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina (18), which stood for 48 years.

At the 2021 Rio Olympics, Phelps won five gold medals in the 4x100m and 4x200m freestyle relays, the 4x100m medley relay, the 200m butterfly and the 200m medley. m complex swimming. By winning the 200m individual medley, he became the first swimmer to win a gold medal in the same event at four Olympics (and one of only four athletes, along with track and field athletes Carl Lewis and Al Oerter, to win a gold medal in the same event at four Olympiads)[9].

By winning 13 times in individual events, he broke the record of ancient Greek athlete Leonidas of Rhodes, who won his last 3 gold medals out of 12 2,168 years earlier in 152 BC.[10][11]

Phelps' results at the Olympics

Participations in the final heats are highlighted in green.

Olympic success

Next after the Australian Olympics was the Olympics in Greece. In Athens 2004, nineteen-year-old Michael Phelps stood on the Olympic podium for the first time. He became not just a six-time Olympic champion and a two-time bronze medalist, but repeated the record of gymnast from the USSR A. Dityatin for the number of awards won in one Olympics - eight.

A disproportionate body only plays into his hands

Most of all, sports fans remember Phelps for his performances at the Beijing Olympics. 2008: eight swims – eight victories! The phenomenal result elevated the swimmer to the rank of the most titled athletes in the history of the modern Olympics.

The triumphal procession, or rather the triumphal swim in the most prestigious competitions of Michael Phelps continued at the Olympics in London. In 2012, in England, his name again goes down in history: this time the athlete breaks the record of the Soviet gymnast L. Latynina and becomes the owner of 22 Olympic medals (the London swims added 4 gold and 2 silver).

Michael gets a round of applause. Of course, we cannot do without envious people. The press writes about him: “talent or mutant?” But Phelps was not involved in doping scandals, and therefore he wears his titles with his head held high. In 2012, at the peak of his sporting capabilities, the eminent athlete announced his retirement from big-time sports.

Phelps' name will forever go down in history.

The realization that he was capable of many more achievements still came to Michael. The 2021 Olympics in Rio only once again confirmed the swimmer’s unique athletic abilities: five top awards and one silver. He was already the youngest participant in the Olympics in 2004, and now he has become the oldest individual swimmer at the Olympics (31 years old). The swimmer's career was crowned with such resounding success. Phelps said: "It was a fantastic week, an amazing way to end my career."

The Rio Olympics were the last in Phelps’ career...But don’t make any guesses

Thus, the famous American swimmer entered not only the history of the modern Olympic Games, but also the ancient ones. According to the chronicles, the only one who won 12 Olympic gold medals in the individual championship was Leonid of Rhodes, while Phelps had 13.

Summer Olympic Games 2012 in London.

At the 2012 Olympics held in London, Phelps' Olympic medal count increased to 22, setting a new record for most Olympic medals (breaking gymnast Larisa Latynina's previous record of 18). He won four gold medals in the 4 by 200 meter freestyle, 200 meter individual, 100 meter butterfly and 4 by 100 meter relays, and two silver medals in the 4 by 100 meter freestyle and 200 meter butterfly.

After the 2012 London Olympics, Phelps announced he was retiring from swimming. However, he gave some indications of a possible return in July 2013 and did not rule out a possible Olympic bid for the 2021 Summer Games. In April 2014, Phelps put an end to retirement rumors and announced plans to compete at the Mesa Grand Prix in Arizona.

Meanwhile, the sports world continued to speculate on whether Phelps would compete in the 2021 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. His longtime coach, Bowman, told The Washington Post: “I don’t know yet. Honestly, we're kind of taking it day by day. I don't think any of us have any real expectations other than to have fun, see what happens and go from there. Unlike previous years, there is no long-term plan.”

While Phelps competed at the Mesa Grand Prix, he made a more impressive showing at the Pacific Championships held that summer in Australia, winning three golds and two silvers.

Michael Phelps competes in the men's 4 x 100m freestyle relay final on Day 2 of the Rio 2021 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on August 7, 2021 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Relationship

A swimmer's relationship is not full of as many events as sports life. But this only works in Phelps' favor. Since 2010, he has been in a relationship with model Nicole Johnson, and in 2021 the couple rejoiced at the birth of their first child. The only thing that worries fans is why Michael has not yet legalized the relationship.

The Champion's son masters his father's element (Instagram)

Mascot

Michael Phelps with Nicole Johnson and son

“He is my talisman and my support.” This is what Michael said about his son Boomer, who was born in 2021 and managed to attend the Rio Olympics with his mother Nicole Johnson, where Michael won again and again. His Nicole, former Miss California, is next to him.

True, this was not always the case. They met in 2007, and broke up in 2008. They started dating again in 2010 and broke up a year later. In 2013, Michael called Nicole again... Both he and she made attempts to find other lovers, but they were unsuccessful. “We missed each other,” Nicole admitted. “We both had different relationships, but neither he nor I could find anyone who understood us as much as we understand each other.”

By the way

• Michael has a disproportionate body: a long torso, short legs, an arm span greater than his own height. He also has foot size 47;
• nickname in the sports world - “Baltimore Bullet”;
• in childhood, the boy was diagnosed with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder;
• Phelps' daily diet includes more than ten thousand kilocalories;
• in Michael’s collection of medals from the World Championships there is only one bronze;
• in his hometown of Baltimore, one of the streets was named after its outstanding native;
• seven-time winner of the title “best swimmer of the year”;
• the prestigious publication GQ gave Phelps 14th position in the top “50 people and phenomena that made the 21st century what it is”;
• advertises and swims in the LZR Racer swimsuit, manufactured by Speedo.