Michael Phelps (placeholder)

Michael Fred Phelps II was born on June 30, 1985 to proud parents Michael and Debbie Phelps. Along with two sisters, Hilary and Whitney, Michael lived with his family in a town just outside of Baltimore, Maryland. His mother worked as a school teacher and his father was a state trooper. All three kids got interested in swimming at an early age. Whitney became quite good and she tried out for the Olympic team in 1996 at age 15. Unfortunately, Whitney didn’t qualify that year and her career was cut short by a series of back injuries. Michael eventually followed both of his sisters and started swimming. When he saw the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta, Michael really became interested in the competitive side of swimming.

By that time, Michael’s home life began to fall apart. His parent divorced in 1992 and the kids went to live with Debbie. Michael became extremely close to his mother and gradually began losing contact with his father, who still has little involvement in his life to this day. Michael threw his efforts into swimming, and by 1996 it was obvious that he needed more professional coaching. He moved to the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and that’s where he met Bob Bowman. Bob immediately recognized Michael’s potential. When he was younger, Michael tried other sports like baseball, soccer and lacrosse, and while in high school he thought about trying out for football, and played on the golf team for a while. None of the other sports he tried stuck with him like swimming did. His high school didn’t have a swim team, so he continued to train at NBAC. He picked up his training schedule noticeably as a junior, he began training 10 times a week.

In 1999, Michael made the U.S. National B Team. As time went by, he kept getting better and better, making more teams and breaking more records. In 2000 at the Olympic Trials he secured himself a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team. He became the youngest swimmer to compete for the U.S. Olympic Team in 68 years. He had a good Olympics, placing 5th in the 200-meter butterfly. He ended the year 7th in the world in the 200-meter butterfly and 44th in the 400-meter individual medley.

In 2001, Michael had an amazing season. He set a world record in the 100-meter butterfly, he also won his first international medal at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, bettering his own world record in the 200-meter butterfly. That year he sacrificed his college eligibility and declared himself pro. Speedo offered him a six figure deal. Michael was becoming a phenomenon.

He continued to smash records and win medals. By the end of the season, Michael was the world’s top swimmer in three events. Then began the comparison to Ian Thorpe. Thorpe had proven himself to be one of the world’s most dominant swimmers at the 2000 Olympics. Michael was eerily showing similar strengths, speed and endurance. It didn’t take long for the media to grasp onto this and declare them as “rivals”. Michael handled the hype with maturity and poise. He said being compared to Thorpe was an honor.

In 2003, Michael graduated from high school. He then threw all his energy into his sport, becoming the first man to win in three different strokes at one national event in the U.S. Spring National Championships. He won the 200-meter freestyle, the 200-meter backstroke, and the 100-meter butterfly. Heading into the World Championships in Barcelona, Michael was insulted by Don Talbot, an Australian coach. He claimed that comparing Michael to Thorpe was nonsense. Michael used the anger he felt to his advantage, pouring himself into his training and going to the Championships with extra motivation. He medaled in six events and set five world records. He then became the first man to win five national titles in a single meet at the U.S. Summer Nationals.

As the year came to an end, the hype surrounding Michael came to a feverish level. Marketers lined up to get to him with the Olympics only 10 months away. Speedo extended his endorsement contract through 2009, with an estimated worth of $9 million. Michael started out 2004 nicely, taking five gold medals in the Conoco Phillips National Championships. He still wasn’t satisfied, and continued to work on his technique with Bowman. His next few meets were tough. His pulled out of the Grand Prix in Indianapolis because of a stomach bug. At the Santa Clara International Invitation, Aaron Piersol beat him twice.

Michael’s season was really only focused on the 2004 Olympics in Athens though. Could he beat Mark Spitz’s 7 gold medals? Speedo offered him $1 million if he could. By that time, Michael was feeling immense pressure to perform well in the Olympics. He handled it with his normal calm and confident attitude. He became the first swimmer to qualify for six individual events, and he also made two relay teams. He opened up the Olympics impressively, winning gold in the 400 IM. However, later that day, his pursuit of eight gold medals ended when South Africa and Australia finished ahead of the American 4×100 freestyle relay team. Later he won the bronze in the 200-meter freestyle. The Americans had a memorable 4×200 freestyle relay, winning the gold. Michael won his next three events, the 200-meter butterfly, the 100-meter butterfly, and the 200-meter IM. Setting Olympic records in two of the three. One of the moments that really showed what a champion and amazing person Michael Phelps really is was when he gave up his spot in the 4×100-meter medley relay so that his teammate Ian Crocker could have a chance at gold. Michael finished his Olympic run with six golds and two bronzes.

When Michael returned to the U.S. he went on the Disney “Swim with the Stars” tour to promote swimming. He was joined on the tour by teammates Lenny Krayzelburg and Ian Ian Crocker. He also appeared on many TV shows, had a parade in his hometown of Towson, and participated in the opening ceremonies of the Ryder Cup. Ultimately, he was exhausted and was having a few back problems, so he had to pull out of the World Short Course Swimming Championships in Indiana.

Michael says his goal is to promote swimming and make it more than just a once every-four-years sport. He wants to change the sport like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have done for their sports. Most everyone agrees that he’s doing a pretty good job.

[michaelphelps.org]