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. Phelps was a USA Olympic team member in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016, and holds the records for most Olympic gold medals (23), most such medals in individual events (13), and most such medals at a single games (8, in Beijing 2008). "People are talking about it and I think this is the only way that it can change.". [85][86] About an hour later, in the 4200-meter freestyle relay, Phelps, along with Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay, and Klete Keller, finished in first place with a time of 7:07.33.[87]. However, in June 2017, he cleared up his eating habits: Dont believe everything you read. However at a final training camp in Atlanta a week before heading to Rio, Phelps put out "the fourth-fastest flat-start time of the year" in a 100 free time trial, automatically securing one of the seven spots on the Men's 4 100 metre freestyle relay for the Olympics. It also promotes the value of planning and goal-setting. 50 Y Free: Time. [195] In the 4100-meter freestyle relay, Phelps, with Lochte, Jason Lezak, and Nathan Adrian, finished first ahead of Australia and South Africa. [157] avi later wrote in his blog, "People, this is the greatest moment of my life. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. Team: Aquajet Swim Team / Minnesota. [285], In September 2014, Phelps was arrested again, this time on charges of driving under the influence of alcohol and speeding in Baltimore. Still, it became a job, he said at an event in New York City. I don't want to put a limit on anything. Their times were later compared. It goes to show you that not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, he's maybe the greatest athlete of all time. The im program teaches children the importance of being active and healthy, with a focus on the sport of swimming. He claimed five medals at the 2002 Pan Pacific championships, including three gold (200-metre and 400-metre individual medley [IM] and 4 100-metre medley relay). Phelps wore a monofin to approximate the movements of a shark (and get a bit of added propulsion). [239], After the 2008 Olympics, Phelps used his $1million Speedo bonus to set up the Michael Phelps Foundation. 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. [276] Thorpe was in the stands for the 4100-meter medley relay, where Phelps was swimming for his eighth Olympic gold medal. In making his fourth Olympic team, Phelps holds the record for men for the most Olympic appearances in swimming representing the United States. Phelps argued his program was too crowded to compete in 100-meter freestyle and was at least among the top four swimmers because he had beaten the top-seeded Jason Lezak the last time he had swum against him. Bowman said, "It took me five years to get Michael from 1:46 to 1:42 and this guy has done it in 11 months. [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]. [23] He graduated from Towson High School in 2003. [323] It is the highest number of accumulative Guinness World Records held by an athlete. [61] In the final of the 400-meter individual medley, on July 27, Phelps broke his own world record with a time of 4:09.09 to easily claim the gold medal. [214] Rebecca Soni and Phelps (twice) are the only swimmers to successfully defend an individual title from the 2008 Games. [161] Phelps, along with teammates Brendan Hansen, Aaron Peirsol, and Jason Lezak, set a new world record in the event with a time of 3 minutes and 29.34 seconds, 0.7 seconds ahead of second-place Australia and 1.34 seconds faster than the previous record set by the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. Phelps competed in his first Olympics at the age of 15, as part of the U.S. men's swim team. 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. In the final, Phelps could not match the speed of Ian Crocker and had to settle for silver, finishing 51.65 to 50.40, a new world record for Crocker. As the first Olympic swimmer to earn a spot on five Olympic teams and one of the oldest individual swimmer to earn Olympic. He met his coach, Bob Bowman, when he started training at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club at the Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center. He finished fifth in the 200-metre butterfly at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. Phelps was raised in a family of swimmers and joined the prestigious North Baltimore Aquatic Club at age seven. [273], As a teenager, Phelps idolized Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe and modeled his public image after Thorpe. Phelps holds 20 Guinness World Records which predominantly consist of accumulative Guinness World Records ("Guinness mosts", records formulated starting with "most") for total number of accomplishments and victories in swimming such as: most medals, consecutive number of medals, most medals within one tournament, most records in swimming etc. His rise to stardom began at the age of just 15 when he took part in the 2000 Summer Olympics and despite winning no medals, showed great potential . Phelps swam a 51.10 (also under his former world record), but had to settle for silver. [153] Phelps responded, "When people say things like that, it fires me up more than anything. Fastest By Meets By Events. "[158], Phelps's seventh gold medal of the Games tied Mark Spitz's record for gold medals won in a single Olympic Games, set in the 1972 Olympics. "[175] Phelps rebounded from this loss and for his third race, the 200-meter butterfly, Phelps won the gold and broke his own world record of 1:52.03 with a time of 1:51.51. Michael Fred Phelps II[5] (born June 30, 1985)[6] is an American former competitive swimmer. Phelps then broke his own record at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, with a time of 1:54:58, earning his first international medal. [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. At the US Nationals in Indianapolis on August 1, 2007, Phelps swam a 1:54.65 in the 200-meter backstroke, which was the third fastest of all time in the event, 0.33 of a second off the world record of 1:54.32 held by Ryan Lochte. Swimmer Michael Phelps, the most successful Olympian in history, is to come out of retirement at the age of 28. [71][72] The following day, Phelps finished second to Ian Crocker in the 100-meter butterfly. Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps Height Weight Body Measurements Shoe Size Age Facts are given here. [135] In his fifth event, the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps broke his own world record of 1:54.98 with a time of 1:54.80. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. [279][280], In January 2018, Phelps revealed that he has struggled both with ADHD and depression, having contemplated suicide after the 2012 Olympics. [294][295], The Foundation's largest event is its annual fundraiser, the Michael Phelps Foundation Golf Classic. [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. Four years later, when he won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, he broke fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven first-place finishes at any single Olympic Games. Career in swimming. [119] In his sixth event, the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps won with a world record time of 1:55.84, breaking his record of 1:55.94 set in 2003. The team developed a special device to measure each sharks speed using bait. ", "Michael Phelps' other claim to fame? Making the longest televised putt in history. . He has won 28 medals across four editions of the Olympics. In the 200-meter butterfly, Phelps led from start to finish, coming in first with a time of 1:54.11. Throughout my career I've been all over the world, but all I've seen have been hotels and swimming pools. This isn't normal, and it gives Phelps an advantage as a swimmer. His retirement came just days after finishing his fifth Olympics with five golds and a silver medal. He was raised by mother Deborah, alongside his sisters Hilary and Whitney, after his parents divorced. Phelps joined Bowman at Michigan to train and attended classes over a span of four years, but did not pursue a degree. In the 100-meter butterfly, Phelps won his 50th national title in 50.65. [249] For Phelps and Lochte, this was their 4th consecutive gold medal in this event,[250] an all-time record in swimming for any event. Phelps swam a 1:53.93 to break his own world record of 1:54.58 set in 2001 and became the first man to swim under 1:54.00. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Why Michael Phelps is still great at an age when most swimmers have faded The American is the only person to have won an individual swimming gold past the age of 31. [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. [75], In his first event, the 400-meter individual medley, Phelps won his first Olympic gold medal in the world record time of 4:08.26. 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. [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. "When we come home from it, you know, they're like, kind of, 'OK, check. 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. Phelps' inseam was a short 30". [183] About an hour later, Phelps returned to the pool to win the 200-meter butterfly. While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. The top five teams in the final finished ahead of the world record of 3:12.23 set the previous day by the American B team in a preliminary heat. Less than one hour after his gold medal victory in the 200-meter butterfly, Phelps swam the lead-off leg of the 4200-meter freestyle relay. Youre going to have bumps in the road. He is now retired and is married to Nicole, with whom he has three sons, Boomer, Becker, and Maverick. We're competing to do everything we can to try to win a medal or to try to do our country proud by wearing the stars and stripes on international ground," he told Axelrod. [272] The family lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona, where Phelps volunteers alongside Bowman as an assistant coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils swim team. [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". Even though he did not win a medal . [122] His lead-off time was faster than the winning time in the individual 100-meter freestyle final later in the meet. He wasn't even training for all the fans. He currently practices at Terra Nova Counseling. As reported in February of 2009, 23-year-old Michael . Phelps was the American flag-bearer at the opening ceremonies of the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympic Games, which were his fifth Games, a record for an American male swimmer. USA TODAY 0:03 0:41 Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps and wife Nicole let the world know they are a family of five and have a "house full of boys" by announcing the birth of their third son with. [269] They met in 2007 at the ESPYs, broke up in 2012, reconciled, and got engaged in February 2015. The following article was. Compare with other Marriage & Family Therapists Compare Michael Phillips with other Marriage & Family Therapists near you Eli Gifford 0 reviews Learn More Leah Fairbank 0 reviews Learn More Ryan Clifford, LMFT 0 reviews Never in my life have I been so happy to have been proved wrong. Golden Goggle Relay Performance of the Year (since 2004): 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009. When he broke the world record in the 100-meter butterfly at the 2009 World Championships, Phelps swam at an astonishingly speedy (or at least by human standards) 5.5 miles per hour. Phelps earned Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award due to his unprecedented Olympic success in the 2008 Games. Michael called it an "isolated incident," but admitted to letting himself and his family down. With Lochte, Ricky Berens, and Peter Vanderkaay, he won his fifth gold and set his fifth world record as the American team finished first with a time of 6:58.56.