Michael Fred Phelps II is a former American competitive swimmer and with a total of 28 medals the most successful and decorated Olympic athlete of all time. Phelps also holds the historic records for Olympic gold medals, Olympic gold medals in individual competitions, and Olympic medals at individual events.
Michael Phelps has two elder sisters, Hilary and Whitney, who played a significant role in molding him into a world-class swimmer by introducing him to swimming at a tender age, allowing him to accompany them to their swimming sessions.
He is sometimes called by the nickname MP or The Baltimore Bullet.
Michael Phelps suffered from Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as a child.
Michael Phelps eats around 12,000 calories of food every day.
Michael started swimming when he was about 7 years old. Due to the fear of putting his head underwater, he first learned the backstroke swimming technique.
He received a $1M bonus from Speedo for winning at least 7 gold medals in one Olympics.
Michael was about 15 years old when he broke the world record in swimming, becoming the youngest ever swimmer to break the record, a record which he holds to this day.
If Michael Phelps was a country, he’d be ranked 32nd on the all-time medal count. That’s all-time, as in everything a country has won in 120 years and 28 Summer Olympics.
On 9th August 2016, Michael became the oldest male swimmer to win an individual gold medal. However, four days later, the 35-year-old Anthony Ervin became the oldest swimmer in Olympic history to win a gold medal.
Only 46 countries on the planet have won more total medals than Phelps.
The medals he garnered throughout his swimming career secured him 26 positions in the Guinness World Records.
Starting in Athens, Phelps has medaled in 44% of every men’s swimming event at the Olympics. There have been 64 races, Phelps has competed in 29 and medaled in 28.
After the 2004 summer Olympics, the city of Baltimore, which is Michael’s city of birth, named one of its streets Michael Phelps Way.
Phelps is one of three athletes in history to win the same event at four straight Olympics. Al Oerter won the discus from 1956-1968. Carl Lewis won the long jump from 1984-1996. And Phelps has won the 200 IM from 2004-2016.
He swam 50 miles every week in preparation for the 2008 summer Olympics.
The United States would have lost the medal count title in Athens if not for Michael Phelps. U.S. athletes won 38 golds (32 without Phelps) compared to China’s 34.
His estimated net worth is about $80 million. Most of his earnings came from an endorsement by big brands, and this made him one of the richest Olympians.
Michael Phelps set 10 world records in winning those 23 golds and five more Olympic and/or American records.
In 2007, Michael tripped and fell on his wrist, causing the scaphoid bone in his wrist to fracture.
In a 24-hour span on August 15-16, 2004, Phelps won two bronze medals. In the 4,380 days since, he’s won nothing but gold or silver.
Michael Phelps also likes to play golf.
After his parents divorced in the early ’90s, Michael went to live with his mother, Debbie, a middle school principal. To date, Michael has little contact with his biological father.
Despite first learning the backstroke swimming technique, Michael prefers the butterfly technique because it propels him faster. In fact, the butterfly stroke has won him numerous world records.
Whenever he went on a break with his U.S. Olympic swim team, Michael would join the rest in some carpool karaoke jam session.
Michael has three sons whom he loves so much.
Michael founded the Michael Phelps Foundation in 2007, aiming to promote healthy living, water safety, and nurturing dreams. He helped thousands of kids to swim safely.
In 2016, Michael married Nichole Johnson, an American model and beauty queen. Nicole is a former Miss California, and has also contested in the Miss USA beauty pageant.
Shaquille O’Neal swam against Michael Phelps in 2015.
Michael had nick-names such as MP, Deep Sea Frog, and the Half-Man Half-Fish. While fans called him these names, his teammates named him Gomer.
