After having been dropped from the team for the 2015 World Aquatics Championships for a DUI, Phelps instead competed in the US National Championships (long course) in San Antonio as his target meet of the summer. 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. Phelps won eight golds every event he entered and broke World Records in seven of them. [223][224] The relationship between Phelps and coach Bob Bowman had deteriorated in the preparations for London 2012, so Phelps convinced a skeptical Bowman that he "wasn't training for history. READ MORE: Why Michael Phelps Has the Perfect Body for Swimming. 31-year-old Michael Phelps was arrested for DUI after leaving a casino in 2014. [120], At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, Phelps won seven gold medals, tying the record for a global long-course championship held by Mark Spitz since the 1972 Summer Olympics, and broke five world records. Gary Hall, Jr. thought this was unfair and said Phelps did not deserve a spot on the relay. Sports", "Michael Phelps earns expected Olympic berth", "Ryan Lochte wins medley gold as Michael Phelps finishes fourth", "Phelps, U.S. fail to recreate Beijing magic, drop to silver in 400 relay", "Michael Phelps breaks record by reaching 19 Olympic medals in London", "Phelps Tops Another Olympian, but at 77, She Grins", "Soni Sets World Record to Win 200 Breaststroke", "Phelps surges toward exit as Franklin, Ledeckey rise to stardom", "2012 London Olympics: Michael Phelps Leads All Swimmers With Six Medals", "Olympics: Michael Phelps shows once more why he's the gold standard in swimming", "Phelps ends career with gold in medley relay", "All the Times Michael Phelps Has Totally Insisted He's Going to Retire", "Michael Phelps at Charlotte Grand Prix 2014: Race Results and Twitter Reaction", "The story of how Michael Phelps and 'the best turn ever done' made Olympic magic", "Posnanski: 2016 likely to be Michael Phelps' favorite Olympic Games", "Seeking Answers, Michael Phelps Finds Himself", "Men's 200-meter Individual Medley Final", "With 1:56.11 Outing in 200 Fly, Michael Phelps Grabs Third Title of Winter Nationals", "Michael Phelps makes fifth Olympic Team", "Can 'extraterrestrial' Michael Phelps bag 6 Rio Olympics gold medals? [188] It was the first time Lochte had beat Phelps in a major national meet. He also won gold in the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, 4-by-200-meter freestyle relay and 4-by-100-meter medley relay). [147] In this race, Phelps became the fifth Olympic athlete in modern history to win nine gold medals, joining Mark Spitz, Larisa Latynina, Paavo Nurmi, and Carl Lewis.[148]. At the age of 15, Phelps became the youngest American male swimmer to compete at an Olympic Games in 68 years. In the 4200-meter freestyle relay, Phelps, along with Nate Dusing, Klete Keller, and Chad Carvin, won the silver medal with a time 7:11.81 finishing behind Australia. [78][79] Crocker's lead-off time of 50.05 was the worst among the field and was blamed on sickness. ; Photo: Tom Pennington/Getty Images, Michael Phelps competing in the final of the Men's 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay on day 2 of the Rio Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on August 7, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. [204], For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Phelps originally stated he would never do eight events again, and would instead try new events. [22] His parents divorced in 1994 when he was nine years old, and his father remarried in 2000. [239], After the 2008 Olympics, Phelps used his $1million Speedo bonus to set up the Michael Phelps Foundation. [40] There is a popular myth that Phelps ate 12,000 calories every day, but Phelps has stated it has been exaggerated and that he did not eat so much even in his growing days. Phelps reiterated many of those sentiments while appearing on David Axelrods The Axe Filespodcast weeks later. The Americans were the first team to break the seven-minute mark in the relay, and broke the previous record, set in Melbourne, Australia, by more than four and a half seconds. [74] However, Phelps dropped the 200-meter backstroke to focus on the 200-meter freestyle because he wanted to race Ian Thorpe. 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. [153] Phelps responded, "When people say things like that, it fires me up more than anything. At the age of 10, he held the national record in his age group. At the time, he was still . [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. [217][218] [291], In 2010, the Michael Phelps Foundation, the Michael Phelps Swim School and KidsHealth.org developed and nationally piloted the "im" program for Boys & Girls Club members. [164][165] In response, Phelps noted that he had signed up for Project Believe, a project by the United States Anti-Doping Agency in which U.S. Olympians can volunteer to be tested in excess of the World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines. Who's the next kid coming in? [45] At the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Phelps broke his own world record in the 200-meter butterfly while en route to become a world champion for the first time. [260], Phelps's performance in the Rio Olympics was unique in "winning multiple gold medals at 31 years old, well beyond the typical peak for male swimmers". Michael Phelps was only 15 when he made the American team for the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. [324] On April 9, 2009, Phelps was invited to appear before the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate, to be honored for his Olympic accomplishments.[325]. [50] At the 2003 Duel in the Pool, a meet that pits swimming stars from Australia and the United States, Phelps broke the world record in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:10.73 and almost broke the world record in the 100-meter butterfly, just missing the record by 0.03 seconds. Michael Phelps, the Olympic swimming champion, has offered his thoughts on the transgender-swimmer controversy. . [224] Since his returning from retirement in 2014, Phelps "scaled back his calorie intake" and "increased his postswim ice baths". As reported in February of 2009, 23-year-old Michael . Michael Phelps, the 23-time Olympic gold medal swimmer, announced on Instagram that his father has died. Phelps became a superstar at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, winning eight medals (including six gold), tying with Soviet gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin (1980) for the most medals in a single Olympic Games. [73] When the Trials were over, Phelps became the first person to qualify in six individual events for a U.S. Olympic team. He is now retired and is married to Nicole, with whom he has three sons, Boomer, Becker, and Maverick. 50 Y Free: Time. And 24 years in the sport. Honestly, were kind of taking it day by day. [219], After the 2012 Olympics, Phelps retired from swimming, stating: "I'm done. 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. "[146], For his third race, Phelps broke his previous world record in the 200-meter freestyle by nearly a second and won his third gold medal. By winning 4 gold and 2 silver medals, Phelps concluded the 2012 Olympics as the most successful swimmer of the meet for the third Olympics in a row. 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. By the 2016 Olympic Trials, despite his age Phelps "felt physically stronger in the water, perhaps because of drills Bowman added to his pool workouts, like multiple repeats of 40 seconds of dolphin kicking while hugging a 10-pound weight to his chest".[225]. [71][72] The following day, Phelps finished second to Ian Crocker in the 100-meter butterfly. Why did Michael choose swimming? 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. Looks like 23 Olympic gold medals is enough for champion swimmer Michael Phelps. 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. Phelps, who had announced that he was retiring from the sport after the London Games, captured a gold medal in his final event, the 4 100-medley relay. It was his gold in his signature event, the 200-metre butterfly, that captured the most international attention. [284] When Phelps was later asked about the incident by Matt Lauer on the Today Show, he said that he had "let a lot of people in the country down". They secretly married on June 13, 2016, and the marriage was not publicly reported until four months later. The average . Phelps wore a monofin to approximate the movements of a shark (and get a bit of added propulsion). This time he finished second to Ryan Lochte in the event with a time of 1:44.79, compared to Lochte's time of 1:44.44. Best Known For: Swimmer Michael Phelps has set the record for winning the most medals, 28, of any Olympic athlete in history. [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. This time Phelps wanted to swim for himselfand enjoy the journey". [191][192] On day two of the competition, Phelps swam in the heats of the 400-meter individual medley and contributed in the 4200-meter freestyle relay. AA: Age. Previously the youngest male had been Ian Thorpe, who captured the 400-meter freestyle world record at 16 years, 10 months. "[220], In April 2014, Phelps announced he would come out of retirement, and would enter an event later that month. Omissions? 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. [13] At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro,[14] his fifth Olympics, he was selected by his team to be the flag bearer of the United States at the 2016 Summer Olympics Parade of Nations. In April 2014, Phelps put the retirement rumors to rest and announced plans to compete at the Mesa Grand Prix in Arizona. [224] He was accompanied by fiance Nicole Johnson and son Boomer. In Athens he won six gold medals and two bronzes, falling just short of Mark Spitzs world record (seven golds at Munich 1972). Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion, 2019, to recognize his advocacy for people with disabilities and his own journey with mental health. The youngest of three children, Phelps grew up in the neighborhood of Rodgers Forge. Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympic athlete in history and holds a total of 28 Olympic Medals (23 of them gold) He is considered by many to be the greatest swimmer of all time. [189] In the 200-meter backstroke, Phelps finished in 4th place in 1:56.98. Unlike previous years, theres no long-term plan.. Meanwhile, Phelps continued to establish world records at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, British Columbia, and the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. "[154] On August 16, Phelps won his seventh gold medal of the Games in the men's 100-meter butterfly, setting an Olympic record for the event with a time of 50.58 seconds and edging out his nearest competitor avi, by one hundredth (0.01) of a second.[155]. London 2012 was also astonishing he got four golds and two silvers while Rio 1016 saw him stage a historic comeback (he had decided to retire after London), aged 31, to bag five gold medals and one silver. [231] Phelps achieved a split time of 47.12, the fourth-fastest of the field (the three fastest times were posted by the team anchors),[231] which was also faster than any of his relay splits at the last three Olympics. [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. Shortly after graduating from Towson in 2003, 17-year-old Phelps set five world records, including the 200-meter individual medley at the World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, with a time of 1:56:04. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. [210], On July 31, 2012, Phelps won a silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly behind South African Chad le Clos by 5/100ths of a second, and a gold medal in the 4200-meter freestyle relay, thereby equaling and then surpassing Larisa Latynina to become the all-time record holder for most Olympic medals won. [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. He also set his third world record at the Olympics, 1:42.96, winning by nearly two seconds over silver medalist Park Tae-hwan. Editor's note (8/15/16): U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps won his 23rd gold medal last night during the 400-meter medley relay at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. [67] Phelps, however, was not pleased with the result and wanted to be in the 1:45s and was uncertain if he would swim the event in Athens. His then-girlfriend Nicole Johnson, their baby, Boomer, and Phelps' mother Debbie watched the Olympic legend break history from the stands in Rio. [133] In his third event, the 100-meter freestyle, Phelps placed second in his heat with a time of 47.92, ensuring him a spot on the relay. [121] Phelps first gold medal came in the 4100-meter freestyle. Thats kind of when everything started to hit harder, knowing that was the last time Ill wear the Stars and Stripes in a race, he said. In his first event, the 400-meter individual medley, Phelps won gold ahead of Erik Vendt with a time of 4:12.48. Afterwards, Thorpe said "I'm really proud of him not just because he won eight golds. That's how I've grown up. [115] In his second event, the 400-meter individual medley, Phelps easily won with a time of 4:10.47, 3.38 seconds ahead of second-place finisher Robert Margalis. Phelps' victory made him the first swimmer to win four consecutive golds in the same event. [114] In his first event, the 200-meter butterfly, Phelps won in a world record time of 1:53.80, his first world record in two years. Phelps dominated the race, winning gold in over a body-length at 1:54.66 seconds, right behind Lochte's record of 1:54.00. [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. Article Title: Michael Phelps Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/athletes/michael-phelps, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: July 28, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014. [8] [53], At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships, Phelps won four gold medals, two silver medals, and broke five world records. 22.19: Standard. All but two of the records were set in a long-course (50-meter) pool. 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. I don't think that's going to happen Over the next four years, I'd like to try some different events, maybe not do some of the events I did here. 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. The decorated swimmer has won 23. The more you dream the more you achieve. Upon finishing, the most decorated Olympian in history received a standing ovation from the crowd. [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. Youre going to have bumps in the road. [257][258][259] Phelps retired from competitive swimming again following the Rio Olympics. In 2004, at the age of 18, he swam his way to eight medals (six of them gold) at the summer Olympics in Athens. [285], In September 2014, Phelps was arrested again, this time on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding in Baltimore. [198] This was Phelps's first bronze in a World Aquatics Championships. [273], As a teenager, Phelps idolized Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe and modeled his public image after Thorpe. [109], At the 2006 National Championships, Phelps won three events. On August 13 he won golds in the 200-metre butterfly and the 4 200-metre freestyle relay to capture his 10th and 11th career gold medals, a new Olympic record. Doing a double like that is a lot harder now than what it once was, Phelps said about competing in the races at the age of 31. He came close to the podium only in the 200m butterfly, where he finished fifth. Being able to finish how I won is just something very special to me and this is why you are seeing more and more emotion on the medal podium.". [80][81] In the event many were calling The Race of the Century, the 200-meter freestyle that was held the following day, Phelps finished in third place behind Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband. Event Time Standard Age Meet Meet Date; Event. [107] On July 31, Phelps earned his final gold medal when the United States team won the 4100-meter medley relay. Michael Phelps, in full Michael Fred Phelps II, (born June 30, 1985, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.), American swimmer, who was the most-decorated athlete in Olympic history with 28 medals, which included a record 23 gold. Phelps earned Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award due to his unprecedented Olympic success in the 2008 Games. The final time of 3:33.48 was a world record. 23 is astonishing. At the age of 15, Phelps qualified for the 2000 Olympics. I'm done. Get some calories into my system and try to recover the best I can, Phelps said at the time.
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