Athlete. Born Michael Fred Phelps on June 30, 1985, in Baltimore, Maryland, to Fred and Debbie Phelps. The youngest of three children, Michael and his sisters grew up in the neighborhood of Rodgers Forge. Fred, an all-around athlete, was a state trooper. Debbie was a middle-school principal. When Michael's parents divorced in 1994, the kids went to live with Debbie, and Michael grew very close to his mother.
Phelps began swimming when his two older sisters, Whitney (born 1978) and Hilary (born 1980), joined a local swim team. Whitney tried out for the U.S. Olympic team in 1996 at the age of 15, but injuries derailed her career. At age seven, Phelps was still "a little scared" to put his head underwater, so his instructors allowed him to float around on his back. Not surprisingly, the first stroke he mastered was the backstroke. Phelps became a superstar at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, winning eight medals (including six gold), which tied with Soviet gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin (1980) for the most medals in a single Olympic Games. Phelps scored the first of six gold medals on August 14 when he broke his own world record in the 400-meter individual medley, shaving 0.15 seconds of his previous mark. He also won gold in the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, 4x200-meter freestyle relay and 4x100-meter medley relay). The two events in Athens, in which Phelps took bronze medals, were 200-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
Phelps began swimming when his two older sisters, Whitney (born 1978) and Hilary (born 1980), joined a local swim team. Whitney tried out for the U.S. Olympic team in 1996 at the age of 15, but injuries derailed her career. At age seven, Phelps was still "a little scared" to put his head underwater, so his instructors allowed him to float around on his back. Not surprisingly, the first stroke he mastered was the backstroke. Phelps became a superstar at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, winning eight medals (including six gold), which tied with Soviet gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin (1980) for the most medals in a single Olympic Games. Phelps scored the first of six gold medals on August 14 when he broke his own world record in the 400-meter individual medley, shaving 0.15 seconds of his previous mark. He also won gold in the 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, 4x200-meter freestyle relay and 4x100-meter medley relay). The two events in Athens, in which Phelps took bronze medals, were 200-meter freestyle and the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
