Michael Phelps

Date of Birth
30 June 1985, Baltimore, Maryland, USA

Birth Name
Michael Fred Phelps

Nickname
Flying Fish

Height
6' 3" (1.91 m)

Mini Biography

Michael Phelps is the newest phenomenon to take the swimming world by storm. Before the Olympics started, rumor had it that a 19 year-old from Baltimore was thinking of trying to match or even surpass Mark Spitz's legendary seven gold medals. By his fourth race with one gold and two bronze it was obvious he couldn't tie it but instead he could match Russian gymanst's Alexander Dityatin's record of eight medals in one Olympics. Every race after the two bronze he came away with gold. After his seventh race he did a truly noble thing by handing over his butterfly leg on the 4 x 200m Freestyle relay to Ian Crocker a rival and now a friend. To everyone this was deemed the most selfless act of the games but to Michael it was just giving his team mate another chance. Throughout the entire week of competition he barely managed to sleep so when he finally got to rest he went to check out how the dominant women's teams were doing and enjoying the culture and atmosphere in Athens. The success in Athens was amazing and now he will begin training for the 2008 Olympics in Bejing.

Trivia

Siblings: 2 sisters, Whitney (born 1978) and Hilary (born 1980)

Parents: Fred and Debbie Phelps (divorced)

He won 6 gold and 2 bronze medals at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, Greece.

Sponsors: Speedo, Omega, AT&T, Powerbar, Visa, Argent Mortgage

He was the youngest male Olympian since 1932 (he was only 15 when he made it in the 2000 Olympics).

Has a street named after him in his hometown Baltimore,Maryland.

First person under one minute and 55 seconds in 200m fly with world record swim.

His sister, Whitney, was a member of the 1995 World Championship team.

Became the youngest male swimmer ever to set a world record at the age of 15 years and nine months, breaking the record in the 200m butterfly.

Attending the University of Michigan (2004)

"Phelps Flys", winning 8 medals at the 2004 Olympics, was ranked #17 in TV Guide's list of the "25 Most Awesome Sports Moments (of the last 15 years)". [17 July 2005 issue]

Winner of the "Sports - Choice Athlete (male)" category at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards.

His feet have been referred to as "fins" by the media, because he wears a size 14 shoe. His wing span measures in at 6 foot 7 inches.

Graduated from Towson High School (2003).

World Swimmer of the Year in 2003, 2004 and 2006.

Has won 17 titles at World Championships between 2001 and 2007.

Grew up in the Rodgers Forge section of Baltimore County just south of Towson.

Made history at the Beijing Olympic Games when he became the first athlete in history to win 8 gold medals at a single Olympic game. He also broke the record for the most Olympic medals won, bring his total from his 3 Olympic appearances to 16.

He has the prototypical swimmer body, he has an extremely long torso; that of a 6 foot 8 person. Whereas his legs are shorter, only that of a 6 foot person. This helps him keep his head above water in his signature event, the 100M butterfly.

Swims about five hours a day and eats up to 10,000 calories a day.

Has double-jointed knees and elbows, which plays a role in his famous dolphin-like kick in the water.

Personal Quotes

"Winning the gold in Greece was a dream come true but going on this tour with Ian and Lenny and meeting the young swimming stars of tomorrow has been simply incredible."

"I have my family and friends, so really I'm just another high school kid."

"I listen to Eminem on my headphones. I don't know the name of it but I think that just listening to that fires me up. It's working so far I just hope it keeps up." - Michael Phelps

Where Are They Now

(October 2004) Resting up a sore back at home and getting ready to start training at University of Michigan.

(November 2008) Baltimore, Maryland

source : www.imdb.com