Michael Phelps - The Man Who Created Ripples In Water

On June 30, 1985, Michael Phelps was born in Towson, Maryland, to Fred and Debbie Phelps. His mother became a teacher, and his father worked as a state trooper. Whitney and Hilary are the two elder sisters he has.At the age of nine, his parents separated in 1994, and his father got married again in 2000. 2003 saw him graduate from Towson High School.

When Phelps was seven years old, he started swimming. At first, a young Phelps was afraid to submerge his face in the water. He overcome this reluctance, nevertheless, and was motivated in 1996 by Tom Malchow and Tom Dolan's performances at the Atlanta, Georgia, Olympic Games.Soon afterward, he became a member of the North Baltimore Athletic Club, where he eventually met Bob Bowman, the coach who would guide him through the highs and lows of his career.Phelps quickly secured a spot on the US National B Team..

Phelps was identified as having ADHD, or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Nevertheless, with his mother Debbie's assistance, he overcame the illness.Phelps' quick development paid off when, at the age of 15, he qualified for the 2000 Summer Olympics and became the youngest man to join an American swim squad for the Olympics in 68 years. He qualified for the finals and placed fifth in the 200-meter butterfly, however he did not take home a medal.

He became the youngest swimmer to ever establish a world record at the World Championship Trials for the 2001 World Aquatics Championships when he broke the 200-meter butterfly record at the age of 15 years and 9 months..

It appeared as though Phelps was fighting against himself rather than his rivals to produce his greatest performance with every competition that went by. One great example of this was when he won his first medal at the World Championship in Fukuoka by breaking his own record in the 200-meter butterfly.

Phelps also competed in the Pan Pacific Championship in 2002. Phelps successfully returned with two silver and three gold medals. To his dismay, he placed second in the 200-meter butterfly, his strongest event, while winning the 400- and 200-meter individual medleys.

Phelps took first place in the 200-meter freestyle, 200-meter backstroke, and 100-meter butterfly events at the 2003 World Championship. By doing this, he made history as the first American swimmer to win three separate races at a national championship, including three different strokes. He took home two silver and four gold medals from the aquatics championships. In addition, he smashed five world records, surpassing his own best time after time. Phelps' incredible performance was unmatched and sent warning flags to veterans, telling them to stay up with this rising teenage wonder!

One of Michael Phelps' coaches once called him a "solitary man." He declared his engagement to Nicole Johnson, the former Miss California, in February 2015. They allegedly became together in 2009 and split up for a while in 2012. On May 5, 2016, Boomer Robert Phelps, their son, was born.

Phelps set several world records during the 2004 and 2016 Olympics, utterly dethroning Ian Thorpe as the centre of the swimming world.

• With five Olympic games under his belt, Michael Phelps has won twenty-three gold, three silver, and two bronze medals.

• He took home six gold and two bronze medals from the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. In the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter medley, 400-meter medley, 4x200-meter freestyle, and 4x100-meter medley events, he took home the gold medals. In both the 200- and 4x100-meter freestyle events, he took home the bronze medals.

• He took home eight gold medals from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. In the following events, he took first place: 200 m freestyle, 400 m medley, 200 m freestyle, 100 m butterfly, 200 m medley, 4×100 m freestyle, and 4×100 m medley.

• He took home four gold and two silver medals from the 2012 London Olympics. In the 100 m butterfly, 200 m medley, 4×200 m freestyle, and 4×100 m medley, he took home the gold medals. He took home silver in the 4x100-meter freestyle and 200-meter butterfly events.

• He won five gold medals (200 m butterfly, 200 m medley, 4x100 m freestyle, 4x200 m freestyle, and 4x100 m medley) and one silver medal (100 m butterfly) at the 2016 Rio Olympics, bringing his total number of medals from the Olympics to 28, of which 23 are gold.

                

He has won many awards:-

• Phelps took home the James E. Sullivan Award in 2003. With this, he was recognised as the nation's finest amateur athlete, becoming the tenth swimmer to receive the title.

• In 2004, a thoroughfare in his hometown was dubbed the Michael Phelps Way in his honour. The Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate honoured him for his Olympic achievements in 2009, following his successful Olympic experience.

• Seven times, from 2003 to 2004, 2006 to 2009, and 2012, Phelps was named the Swimming World Magazine World Swimmer of the Year Award recipient. He received nine awards in the American Swimmer of the Year category from the same magazine, from 2001 to 2004, 2006 to 2009, and 2012.

• Phelps received numerous awards in a variety of categories from the USA Swimming Federation's Golden Goggle award, which was established in 2004. He received the Relay Performance of the Year title four years in a row from 2006 to 2009, despite winning the Male Performance of the Year award five times between 2004 and 2006. In addition, he was the 2004–2007, 2008, and 2012 Male Athlete of the Year winner.

• In recognition of his status as the most decorated Olympian ever, Phelps received the FINA swimmer of the year award in 2012 from the world swimming association.

His two older sisters, Whitney and Hilary, both had higher swimming abilities than he had, and they served as motivation for the renowned Olympian and swimming sensation. As a child, he spent most of his afternoons watching his sisters practise while riding in a pram.

He broke Mark Spitz's previous record of 33 world records (26 individual, 7 relay), setting the most world records in swimming history with 39 (29 individual, 10 relay).

"I think that everything is possible as long as you put your mind to it and you put the work and time into it. I think your mind really controls everything."
                                                                         -Michael Phelps