Full Name: Michael Fred Phelps II
Date of Birth: 30th June 1985
Country: United States of America
Sport involved in: Aquatics — Swimming
Achievements:
- Olympic record of highest number of Gold medals by a single participant (Beijing Summer Games; 8 Gold)
- Winner of the World Championships title in the 200 meter butterfly event in 2001
Gold medalist in the 200 meter and 400 meter butterfly events and the 4x100 meter medley relay event in the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships
Winner of Silver medal in the 200 meter butterfly and 4x200 meter freestyle relay events in the 2002 Pan Pacific Championships
Gold Medal winner in the 200 meter and 400 meter butterfly events, the 200 meter and 400 meter individual medley events and the 4x100 meter medley relay events in the 2003 World Championships
Silver medalist in the 100 meter butterfly and the 4x200 meter freestyle relay events in the 2003 World Championships
Received the James E. Sullivan Award in 2003
Winner of Gold Medals in the 100 meter and 200 meter butterfly events, 200 meter and 400 meter individual medley events, 4x100 meter medley relay and 4x200 meter freestyle relay events at the 2004 Athens Summer Summer Games
Bronze medal winner in the 200 meter freestyle and the 4x100 meter freestyle relay events in the 2004 Athens Summer Games
Winner of the World Championships title in the 200 meter freestyle event in 2004
Winner of Gold medal in the 200 meter freestyle, 200 meter individual medley, 4x100 meter medley relay, 4x100 meter and 4x200 meter freestyle relay events in the 2005 World Championships
Silver medalist in the 100 meter butterfly event in the 2005 world Championships
Gold medalist in the 200 meter butterfly, 200 meter and 400 meter individual medley events, 4x100 meter and 4x200 meter freestyle relay events in the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships
Winner of silver medal in the 200 meter backstroke event at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships
Winner of 31 U.S. National Titles in various swimming events
World record holder in the 200 meter butterfly, 200 meter and 400 meter individual medley and 4x100 meter freestyle relay events
Career: Michael Phelps started his swimming career at an early age. Phelps participated at the 2000 Sydney Summer Summer Games when he was only 15 years of age. As the youngest American male swimmer to compete at the Olympics, he finished the 200 meter butterfly event in the fifth position. At the age of 15 years and 9 months, Phelps became the youngest swimmer to set a world record. He broke the world record in the 200 meter butterfly event. Then during the 2001 World Championships, he improved his own record in the event with a timing of 1:54.48 seconds. In 2002 Phelps set another world record in the 400 meter individual medley event. In 2003, he improved his own record in the 400 meter individual medley event with a timing of 4:09.09 seconds. He also set world record in the 200 meter individual medley event with 1:56.04 seconds. Next year he again broke his 400 meter individual medley record with 4:08.41 seconds. Phelps participated in the 2004 Athens Summer Games at the age of 19. In the Games, he won a total of eight medals including six Gold medals and two bronze medals in various swimming events. Phelps currently holds world records in the 200 meter butterfly (1:53.80 seconds), 200 meter individual medley (1:55.84 seconds), 400 meter individual medley (4:08.26 seconds) and 4x100 meter freestyle relay event (3:12.46 seconds).
Performance at the Olympics: Michael Phelps' first appearance at the Olympics was in the 2000 Sydney Summer Games. In the competition he finished fifth in the 200 meter butterfly event. In the 2004 Athens Summer Games, Phelps competed in eight swimming events:
- 200 meters freestyle
- freestyle relay (4x100 meters & 4x200 meters)
- butterfly (100 meters & 200 meters)
- individual medley (200 meters & 400 meters)
- 4x100 meter medley relay
In the 4x100 meter freestyle relay and 200 meters freestyle events, Phelps won bronze medals. In the 400 meter individual medley event, he set a new world record with 4:08.26 seconds and won his first Olympic title. Phelps defeated Takashi Yamamoto of Japan in the 200 meter butterfly swimming competition and won his second Olympic
Gold medal. In the 4x200 meter freestyle relay, his team won Gold medal beating the Australian team. Phelps won his next
Gold medal in the 200 meter individual medley event, which he finished in just 1 min 64 sec. In the 100 meter butterfly final, he defeated his teammate Ian Crocker by 0.04 seconds and won the fifth Olympic title. His team also won the 4x100 meter medley relay event.
Phelps' achievements in
2008 Summer Games include:
- Gold - 400m individual medley (World record: 4:03.84)
- Gold - 4x100m free relay (World record: 3:08.24)
- Gold - 200m freestyle
- Gold - 200m butterfly (World record: 1:52.03)
- Gold - 4x200m free relay (World record: 6:58.56)
- Gold - 200m individual medley (World record: 1:54.23)
- Gold - 100m butterfly
- Gold - 4x100m medley relay (World record: 3:29.34)
