He followed his record-setting Olympics with five golds (100-metre and 200-metre butterfly, 4 100-metre and 4 200-metre freestyle relay, and 4 100-metre medley relay) and a silver (200-metre freestyle) at the 2009 world championships in Rome. [150] Moreover, Phelps became the first swimmer, male or female, to win three Olympic butterfly titles, after his two titles in the Athens 2004 Olympics. Also Known As: Michael Fred Phelps II Age: 37 Years, 37 Year Old Males Family: Spouse/Ex-: Nicole Johnson father: Michael Fred Phelps mother: Deborah 'Debbie' Phelps, Deborah Phelps children: Boomer Robert Phelps Born Country: United States Swimmers American Men Height: 6'4" (193 cm ), 6'4" Males Swimmer Michael Phelps has won 28 Olympic medals, more than anyone in history. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. At the 2012 Olympic Games, held in London, Phelps' Olympic medal count increased to 22, setting a new record for most Olympic medals (beating gymnast Larisa Latynina's prior record of 18). Meanwhile, Phelps continued to establish world records at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships in Victoria, British Columbia, and the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia. Phelps touched second in 1:43.22, but Biedermann smashed Phelps's record of 1:42.96 set in Beijing a year ago with a time of 1:42.00. At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Phelps won four gold and two silver medals, and at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won five gold medals and one silver. I'm finished. On August 13 he won golds in the 200-metre butterfly and the 4 200-metre freestyle relay to capture his 10th and 11th career gold medals, a new Olympic record. Meanwhile, the sports world continued to speculate whether Phelps would compete in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. [189] In the 200-meter backstroke, Phelps finished in 4th place in 1:56.98. [126] For his sixth race, the 100-meter butterfly, Phelps edged out Ian Crocker 50.77 to 50.82 to win his sixth gold medal. [19] Phelps is the youngest of three children. "[138], Phelps set an Olympic record in the preliminary heats of the 400-meter individual medley. He later dropped the 200-meter freestyle from his program, as he stated he wanted to focus on the 4100-meter freestyle relay. And 24 years in the sport. Michael Fred Phelps II[5] (born June 30, 1985)[6] is an American former competitive swimmer. He is also the most decorated Olympian of all time with a total of 28 medals. Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 48.08, the second-best lead-off in the field behind James Magnussen's 47.49. At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Phelps won his 14th career gold medal, the most gold won by any Olympian surpassing swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven golds. [204], For the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Phelps originally stated he would never do eight events again, and would instead try new events. In the 200-meter freestyle, Phelps won ahead of Ryan Lochte in a time of 1:45.61. It was his gold in his signature event, the 200-metre butterfly, that captured the most international attention. Phelps has also received the following awards: Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. He trained with coach Bob Bowman at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and quickly broke multiple age-group records. [107] On July 31, Phelps earned his final gold medal when the United States team won the 4100-meter medley relay. In the 4200-meter freestyle relay, Phelps, with Peter Vanderkaay, Ricky Berens, and Lochte, finished first ahead of Japan and Australia. Phelps' top swimming speed has been . He went on to win gold in both the 200-meter butterfly and in the 4x200-meter freestyle relay along with Conor Dwyer, Townley Haas and Ryan Lochte. [230] Phelps's 100 m freestyle times at the Trials were not impressive. Phelps top swimming speed has been clocked in at 6 miles per hour. The following article was. "I didn't want to be alive anymore. Subsequent analysis of the video by the FINA panel, which required analyzing frames shot 1/10,000th of a second apart, was used to officially confirm Phelps's victory,[156] but the images were not immediately released to the press. "[220], In April 2014, Phelps announced he would come out of retirement, and would enter an event later that month. Phelps went on to compete in the 200-meter individual medley, an event dubbed "the Duel in the Pool" because he faced off against friend, teammate and rival Ryan Lochte, the world record holder in the race. [211][212] Latynina was present at the race and asked to be the presenter of Phelps's medal, but was told that Olympic rules would not allow it. [167][168], At the 2009 National Championships, Phelps drastically shortened his program, swimming in only three individual events. Joseph Schooling of Singapore, a 21-year-old swimmer who idolized Phelps when he was boy, won the gold. This page was last edited on 24 April 2023, at 11:43. I'd like to be that guy", avi said. "[160], On August 17, Phelps won his eighth gold medal in the 4100-meter medley relay, breaking Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals won in a single Olympic Games, which had stood since 1972. "[154] On August 16, Phelps won his seventh gold medal of the Games in the men's 100-meter butterfly, setting an Olympic record for the event with a time of 50.58 seconds and edging out his nearest competitor avi, by one hundredth (0.01) of a second.[155]. 'I don't think so', "Rio 2016 | Simone Biles dazzles while Phelps wins his 22nd gold on day 6", "Phelps breaks ties for most overall & gold individual medals", "Phelps named USOC's male athlete of the Rio Olympics", "Olympic Great Michael Phelps Ending Retirement", "Michael Phelps left with one meet before Olympic Trials", "Michael Phelps on Olympic future: 'I am not coming back in four years', "Where Does Michael Phelps Rank Among Great Athletes Of All Time? Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. In making his fourth Olympic team, Phelps holds the record for men for the most Olympic appearances in swimming representing the United States. [251] He also became the third Olympian to win the same individual event four times, after athletes Al Oerter and Carl Lewis. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors. The following year, at the same event, he broke his own world record in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:09.09. Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 48.42 seconds and Neil Walker, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak each expanded the lead to win in a Championship record of 3:12.72, just missing the world record of 3:12.46 set the previous year. [39] When Bowman was hired as the men's and women's swimming coach at Arizona State University in 2015, Phelps moved to Arizona to continue training under Bowman. [74] However, Phelps dropped the 200-meter backstroke to focus on the 200-meter freestyle because he wanted to race Ian Thorpe. At the age of 28, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in history. Phelps followed his coach to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where Bowman coached the Wolverines' swim team, to study sports marketing and management. Even though Phelps competed in the backstroke in international competition only once (at the 2006 Pan Pacific Championships), he was among the best backstroke swimmers in the world. Phelps continued to set new marks at the 2002 U.S. Summer Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, establishing a new world record for the 400-meter individual medley, and U.S. records in the 100-meter butterfly and the 200-meter individual medley. In the beginning. [232][233] Phelps was also voted by the U.S. Olympic swim team as one of six team captains for the US delegation to the Olympics. Phelps was born in Baltimore on June 30, 1985, and got serious with the sport after joining the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. [citation needed] However, Johnny Weissmuller is reported to have broken 67 official world records.[300]. [20][21] Phelps is of English, German, Irish, Scottish, and Welsh descent. Who's the next kid coming in? [50] At the 2003 Duel in the Pool, a meet that pits swimming stars from Australia and the United States, Phelps broke the world record in the 400-meter individual medley with a time of 4:10.73 and almost broke the world record in the 100-meter butterfly, just missing the record by 0.03 seconds. [149] This fourth gold medal was his tenth, and made him the all-time leader for most Olympic gold medals won by an individual in the modern Olympic era. Upon finishing, the most decorated Olympian in history received a standing ovation from the crowd. "When we come home from it, you know, they're like, kind of, 'OK, check. Most silver medals awarded in a single Olympic swimming race, Fastest swim short course relay 4 x 100 metres freestyle (male), Fastest swim long course relay 4 x 200 metres freestyle (male). Phelps said he lost because he did not take butterfly training seriously after he broke the world record. [286] As a result, USA Swimming suspended him from all competitions for six months, and stated he would not be chosen to represent the United States at the 2015 World Aquatics Championships in August. [210], On July 31, 2012, Phelps won a silver medal in the 200-meter butterfly behind South African Chad le Clos by 5/100ths of a second, and a gold medal in the 4200-meter freestyle relay, thereby equaling and then surpassing Larisa Latynina to become the all-time record holder for most Olympic medals won. Sports", "Michael Phelps earns expected Olympic berth", "Ryan Lochte wins medley gold as Michael Phelps finishes fourth", "Phelps, U.S. fail to recreate Beijing magic, drop to silver in 400 relay", "Michael Phelps breaks record by reaching 19 Olympic medals in London", "Phelps Tops Another Olympian, but at 77, She Grins", "Soni Sets World Record to Win 200 Breaststroke", "Phelps surges toward exit as Franklin, Ledeckey rise to stardom", "2012 London Olympics: Michael Phelps Leads All Swimmers With Six Medals", "Olympics: Michael Phelps shows once more why he's the gold standard in swimming", "Phelps ends career with gold in medley relay", "All the Times Michael Phelps Has Totally Insisted He's Going to Retire", "Michael Phelps at Charlotte Grand Prix 2014: Race Results and Twitter Reaction", "The story of how Michael Phelps and 'the best turn ever done' made Olympic magic", "Posnanski: 2016 likely to be Michael Phelps' favorite Olympic Games", "Seeking Answers, Michael Phelps Finds Himself", "Men's 200-meter Individual Medley Final", "With 1:56.11 Outing in 200 Fly, Michael Phelps Grabs Third Title of Winter Nationals", "Michael Phelps makes fifth Olympic Team", "Can 'extraterrestrial' Michael Phelps bag 6 Rio Olympics gold medals? [94] Phelps went on to win the 400-meter freestyle, the 200-meter freestyle, the 100-meter butterfly, the 100-meter freestyle, and the 200-meter individual medley at the Trials. The finals of that race featured South Africas Chad le Clos, who had beaten Phelps by five-hundredths of a second in the race at the 2012 Games and who had exchanged verbal barbs with the American over the following four years. [74] Even though Phelps did not compete in the 100-meter freestyle at the Trials, he was still selected for the 4100-meter freestyle relay. [292] im is offered through the Boys & Girls Clubs of America[292] and through Special Olympics International. Phelps has set 39 world records, the most of all time. Although it was much slower than his 1:51.51 time from the previous year, Phelps had not lost a 200-meter butterfly final since 2002. "[264] The game received a lukewarm review from ABC News, which observed that "the title would have been better as cheap downloadable content or packaged in a larger Olympic sports world. 23 is astonishing. He won four gold medals, in the 4-by-200-meter freestyle relay, 200-meter individual medley, 100-meter butterfly and 4-by-100-meter medley relay; and two silver medals, in the 4-by-100-meter freestyle relay and 200-meter butterfly. 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. Phelps won the gold ahead of Pieter van den Hoogenband and broke Ian Thorpe's six-year-old world record with a time of 1:43.86. [278] Phelps is also a fan of the Baltimore Ravens and stated that he found his life purpose and desire to compete in the 2016 Summer Olympics after seeking Ray Lewis's advice. [48], At the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Yokohama, Japan, Phelps won three gold medals and two silvers. With his seven titles, Phelps tied Spitz for most wins at a major international meet. He said the"hardest fall" came after the 2012 Olympics when he found himself sitting in his room alone for three to five days, not eating and barely sleeping: "I didn't want to be in the sport anymore," he recalled. [76][77] The following day, Phelps, along with Ian Crocker, Neil Walker, and Jason Lezak, finished in third place in the 4100-meter freestyle relay with a time of 3:14.62. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The youngest of three children, Phelps grew up in the neighborhood of Rodgers Forge. Records are always made to be broken no matter what they are. The team developed a special device to measure each sharks speed using bait. He has won 82 medals in major international long course competitions, of which 65 were gold, 14 silver, and three bronze, spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, and the Pan Pacific Championships. Phelps put up a solid time of 1:46.60 (an American record) but the Americans could not match the depth of the Australians and ultimately finished second 7:10.26 to 7:08.58. [231] Phelps achieved a split time of 47.12, the fourth-fastest of the field (the three fastest times were posted by the team anchors),[231] which was also faster than any of his relay splits at the last three Olympics. Get some calories into my system and try to recover the best I can, Phelps said at the time. He became the youngest male to make a U.S. Olympic swim team in 68 years. The relationship between Le Clos and Phelps had been cordial back in 201213 but it deteriorated in 2014 when Phelps came back from retirement and suggested that the current butterfly times were slow. [43] While he did not win a medal, he did make the finals and finished fifth in the 200-meter butterfly. [112] In his third event, the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps won with a time of 1:56.50, just ahead of Ryan Lochte's time of 1:56.78. His then-girlfriend Nicole Johnson, their baby, Boomer, and Phelps' mother Debbie watched the Olympic legend break history from the stands in Rio. In December 2015 at the Winter Nationals in Federal Way, Phelps won titles in the same three events, again in long course, bringing his career total to 62 national titles. Michael Phelps, in full Michael Fred Phelps II, (born June 30, 1985, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.), American swimmer, who was the most-decorated athlete in Olympic history with 28 medals, which included a record 23 gold. Never in my life have I been so happy to have been proved wrong. If you ask me, it should be accepted and we should move on. Michael Phelps is an American swimmer who holds the record for the most Olympics medals won by any athlete at 28, including 23 gold medals and 13 individual golds. [70] Less than half an hour later, Phelps won the 200-meter individual medley title ahead of Ryan Lochte by 2.70 seconds. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. Honestly, were kind of taking it day by day. [47] In the 400-meter individual medley, Phelps bettered the world record held by Tom Dolan with a time of 4:11.09, just ahead of Erik Vendt, who finished second with a time of 4:11.27, also below the old world record. I'm not going to swim for anyone else. This time Phelps wanted to swim for himselfand enjoy the journey". On July 24, in the semi-finals of the 200-meter individual medley, he broke his own world record with a time of 1:57.52.