MICHAEL PHELPS
Full Name: Michael Fred Phelps II
Nicknames: The Baltimore Bullet, Flying Fish, Gomer
Born: June 30, 1985 (age 31) Baltimore, Maryland
Height: 6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight: 194 lb (88 kg)
Strokes: Butterfly, individual medley, freestyle, backstroke
Club: North Baltimore Aquatic Club
Coach: Bob Bowman
PERSONAL LIFE
Phelps was born in Baltimore, Maryland, and raised in the Rodgers Forge neighborhood of nearby Towson. He attended Rodgers Forge Elementary, Dumbarton Middle School, and Towson High School. Phelps is the youngest of three children. His mother, Deborah Sue "Debbie" Phelps (née Davisson), is a middle school principal. His father, Michael Fred Phelps, is a retired Maryland State Trooper who played football in high school and college and tried out for the Washington Redskins in the 1970s. Phelps is of English, German, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh descent. His parents divorced in 1994, when he was nine years old, and his father remarried in 2000. He graduated from Towson High School in 2003. 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. After retirement in 2016, he stated "The only reason I ever got in the water was my mom wanted me to just learn how to swim. My sisters and myself fell in love with the sport, and we decided to swim." When Phelps was in the sixth grade, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). By the age of 10, he held a national record for his age group (in the 100-meter butterfly) and began to train at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club under coach Bob Bowman. More age group records followed, and as of 2016 Phelps still holds 12 age group records (nine in long course and three in short course).
CAREER
| EVENT | 1st | 2nd | 3rd |
|---|---|---|---|
| Olympic Games | 23 | 3 | 2 |
| World Championships (LC) | 26 | 6 | 1 |
| World Championships (SC) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Pan Pacific Championships | 16 | 5 | 0 |
| Total | 66 | 14 | 3 |
PERSONAL BESTS
Long Course Meters
100 m freestyle 47.51 Beijing August 11, 2008
200 m freestyle 1:42.96 Beijing August 12, 2008 AM, NR
400 m freestyle 3:47.79 Indianapolis April 1, 2005
100 m backstroke 53.01 Indianapolis August 3, 2007
200 m backstroke 1:54.65 Indianapolis August 1, 2007
100 m breaststroke 1:02.57 Columbia February 17, 2008
200 m breaststroke 2:11.30 San Antonio August 10, 2015
100 m butterfly 49.82 Rome August 1, 2009 AM, NR, WR
200 m butterfly 1:51.51 Rome July 29, 2009 AM, NR, WR
200 m IM 1:54.16 Shanghai July 28, 2011
400 m IM 4:03.84 Beijing August 10, 2008 AM, NR, WR
Short Course Meters
100 m freestyle 46.99 Manchester December 18, 2009
200 m freestyle 1:42.78 East Meadow February 4, 2006
200 m backstroke 1:50.34 Berlin October 22, 2011
100 m butterfly 50.46 Manchester December 18, 2009
200 m butterfly 1:52.27 Melbourne November 28, 2003
100 m IM 51.65 Berlin October 22, 2011
200 m IM 1:51.89 Berlin October 23, 2011
400 m IM 4:01.49 Berlin October 22, 2011
PICTURES
