In January 2018, Phelps delivered an eye-opening account of his battles with depression at the fourth annual conference of the Kennedy Forum, abehavioral health advocacy group. "I didn't want to be alive anymore. This is illustrated by his personal best times set in 2007, four months after the World Championships. [151], After taking a day off from finals (Phelps did swim in qualifying heats), Phelps won his sixth gold of the Beijing Games on August 15 by winning the 200-meter individual medley with a world record time of 1:54.23, finishing ahead of Cseh by over two seconds. His mother, Deborah Sue "Debbie" Phelps (ne Davisson), is a middle school principal. [194] On day three of the competition, Phelps competed in the 100-meter butterfly and contributed in the 4100-meter freestyle relay. [70] Less than half an hour later, Phelps won the 200-meter individual medley title ahead of Ryan Lochte by 2.70 seconds. [73] When the Trials were over, Phelps became the first person to qualify in six individual events for a U.S. Olympic team. He became the first swimmer to win the same individual event four times, surpassing the previous record of three held by Dawn Fraser and Krisztina Egerszegi. "I think people actually finally understand it is real," he said. At the time, he was still . [251] He also became the third Olympian to win the same individual event four times, after athletes Al Oerter and Carl Lewis. Most gold medals won at a single FINA World Championships (individual). Two days later, in the 200-meter individual medley, Phelps finished first with a time of 1:57.14, an Olympic record. He broke his first world record at the age of 15, less than a year after his first Olympic performance. Phelps retired following the 2012 Olympics, but he made a comeback in April 2014. He wasn't even training for all the fans. For the 2017's Shark Week, Michael Phelps raced several breeds of sharks. [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. (Seriously. [45] At the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, Phelps broke his own world record in the 200-meter butterfly while en route to become a world champion for the first time. READ MORE: Why Michael Phelps Has the Perfect Body for Swimming. [180] The victory prompted a fierce celebration from Phelps. Phelps's international titles and record-breaking performances have earned him the World Swimmer of the Year Award eight times and American Swimmer of the Year Award eleven times, as well as the FINA Swimmer of the Year Award in 2012 and 2016. As reported in February of 2009, 23-year-old Michael . 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. Even given the fact that Phelps practices a sport in which extremely capable athlete can bag golds across different distances and strokes, his feats still blow away those of any other sportsperson. Four years later, when he won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, he broke fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven first-place finishes at any single Olympic Games. Michael Phelps: the Athlete Who Changed the World of Swimming. What's Michael Phelps is known for being the most decorated Olympian of all time, but the 33-year-old retired swimmer wants to be recognized for something else, too: his willingness to talk about his. [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. The initial refusal by official timekeeper Omega to release underwater photos of the finish also raised questions due to Phelps's sponsorship relationship with Omega. Morton E. Ruderman Award in Inclusion, 2019, to recognize his advocacy for people with disabilities and his own journey with mental health. Best Known As: The swimmer who won a record 28 Olympic medals. ; Photo: Adam Pretty/Getty Images, 10 Things You Might Not Know About Jimmy Butler, Name: Michael Phelps, Birth Year: 1985, Birth date: June 30, 1985, Birth State: Maryland, Birth City: Baltimore, Birth Country: United States. [143], Phelps swam the first leg of the 4100-meter freestyle relay in a time of 47.51 seconds (an American record for the 100-meter freestyle), and won his second gold medal of the 2008 Olympics, as well as setting his second world record of the Olympics (3:08.24). Phelps, along with teammates Aaron Peirsol, Eric Shanteau, and David Walters, set a new world record in the event with a time of 3 minutes, 27.28 seconds. His then-girlfriend Nicole Johnson, their baby, Boomer, and Phelps' mother Debbie watched the Olympic legend break history from the stands in Rio. He went on that year to win his first international title at the world championships in Fukuoka, Japan. After the London Olympics in 2012, Phelps announced he was retiring from swimming. 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. [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. In his first event, the 200-meter freestyle, Phelps won with a time of 1:44.23. "[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. His rise to stardom began at the age of just 15 when he took part in the 2000 Summer Olympics and despite winning no medals, showed great potential . This was typical of someone who is over half a foot shorter, giving him less body to pull through the water. Nicole Phelps knows she's "married to the most incredible human being," Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, but their love . Why Michael Phelps Has the Perfect Body for Swimming - Biography [49], At Nationals, Phelps won the 200-meter freestyle, 200-meter backstroke, and the 100-meter butterfly. Phelps swam the second leg with what his coach Bob Bowman described as "maybe the best turn that's ever been done",[236] overtaking France's Fabien Gilot to give his American teammates a lead which they would not relinquish. Then during the U.S. trials for the 2004 Summer Olympics, he broke his own world again in the 400 meter individual medley, with a time of 4:08:41. [235], In his first event on August 7, the 4 100 m freestyle relay, he won his first gold medal of the 2016 Games and his 19th Olympic gold medal overall. Michael Phelps is one of the most decorated athletes of all time. Phelps confirmed that he was retiring following the 2016 Summer Olympics. Phelps won eight golds every event he entered and broke World Records in seven of them. Michael Phelps Biography, Olympic Medals, Records and Age At his peak in training, Phelps ate between 8,000 to 10,000 calories per day. Michael Phelps - Team USA [136] In his sixth and final event, the 100-meter butterfly, Phelps won with a time of 50.89. It also promotes the value of planning and goal-setting. [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. [189] In the 200-meter backstroke, Phelps finished in 4th place in 1:56.98. [60] However, in the final of the 100-meter butterfly, on July 26, Ian Crocker erased Phelps's world record with a time of 50.98, to become the first man under 51 seconds. "[26] When Phelps was in the sixth grade, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 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Championships, Swimming: Ryan Lochte Bests Michael Phelps For 200 Free Gold", "FINA World Championships, Swimming: Michael Phelps Closes Out Takeshi Matsuda for Gold Medal", "FINA World Championships, Swimming: Ryan Lochte Sets First Post Techsuit-Era World Record", "FINA World Championships, Swimming: Ryan Lochte's Monster Anchor Leg Secures United States Victory in 800 Free Relay", "FINA World Championships, Swimming: Michael Phelps Threepeats 100 Fly", "FINA World Championships, Swimming: United States Edges Australia for 400 Medley Relay Win", "Phelps locks up another 8-race program in London Yahoo!