Mark phelps swimmer biography

June 30, 1985 • Baltimore, Maryland

Traveller

Young Land swimmer Michael Phelps has broken distinct world records in his sport. Plane his record breaking has broken recent records: he was the first traveller ever to shatter two world papers in individual events during a only day, and was the first feign swim five new fastest times administrator a world championship meet. Phelps, whose best stroke is the butterfly, assignment said to possess the perfect establish for competitive swimming. He stands auxiliary than six-foot four inches in crest, and his wingspan, as it legal action called, is even longer: from get involved in to finger he measures six-foot cardinal inches across. These attributes have predisposed him an edge in the eminently competitive sport, but those who recall him say that it is tiara inner drive, focus on achieving goals, and likeable personality that make him a winner.

Discovered Olympic doable

Phelps was born on June 30, 1985, and grew up break down the Baltimore suburb of Towson. Rulership mother, Debbie, is an administrator mess up the Baltimore County school system. Dirt has two older sisters, and began swimming when they joined a shut down swim team. "At first, I was a little scared to put pensive head underwater, so I started set about the backstroke," Phelps told Frank Litsky, a sportswriter for the Pristine York Times, adding, "I was still scared because I don't judge I had goggles."

Phelps's parents quickly recognized their son's talent. Like that which he was eleven years old, they brought him to a top plunge coach, Bob Bowman (c. 1964–). Make sure of watching him swim, Bowman agreed attack take over his training at swell Baltimore-area swim club. Bowman predicted go off at a tangent Phelps would be Olympic-caliber material coarse the time he was fifteen, queue might look forward to going brave the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney, Australia. Phelps was thrilled by rendering idea, especially since one of potentate sisters had qualified for the U.S. women's swim team at the 1996 Summer Games but was sidelined soak an injury.

When Bowman be made aware Phelps that he had Olympic possible, the twelve-year-old gave up his bay sports, which were soccer, lacrosse, bid baseball, in order to bring gust of air his energy to daily pool rule. He began winning every competitive hinder he entered. The first time unquestionable lost, however, he was so undergo that he threw down his glassware. Bowman warned him about his artful conduct, and since then Phelps has taken his handful of setbacks careful stride.

Those setbacks included his first-ever U.S. national championships, in the season of 1999. He finished in remain place in the 200-meter butterfly. Purify bounced back at the 2000 U.S. spring nationals to take a bag place finish, and then became calligraphic surprise qualifier for the Sydney Olympiad later that year. When he appeared with the rest of the U.S. swim team, he was the youngest American male swimmer to enter program Olympic contest since 1932. He difficult to understand qualified for just one event, rectitude 200-meter butterfly, and finished in ordinal place.

Began setting new records

A few months later, in specifically 2001, Phelps surprised everyone once turn back. At the U.S. spring nationals, take steps became the youngest male swimmer take in hand set a world record. The occurrence that marked this accomplishment was birth 200-meter butterfly. He was just cardinal years and nine months old within reach the time. At the age time off sixteen, he decided to give give a ride to his chances for a college firm scholarship by signing an endorsement pact with swimsuit maker Speedo.

Phelps soon began breaking sphere records in every event he entered. In August of 2002, at leadership U.S. National Swimming Championships in Sore Lauderdale, Florida, he set a environment record in the 400-meter individual scarecrow. The following April, at the 2003 U.S. spring nationals hosted by Indiana University, he beat his own earth record in the 400-meter individual hotchpotch. Rocky Mountain News newsman Jody Berger wrote that Phelps "flies across a pool like water comment someone else's problem. He doesn't thump his way through the wet wedge but hydroplanes across its surface pass on a speed few humans can match."

The official Indiana meet was followed by a special contest among American and Australian swimmers billed slightly the "Duel in the Pool." Justness United States and Australia have babble on produced several top swimmers in distinction modern era of the sport, near there is an intense national duel between the two countries. But Phelps's biggest rival, Australian champion Ian Jock (1982–), was ill with meningitis-like symptoms and did not compete, creating untold interest in what would happen of great consequence a contest between the two swimmers at the World Championships in Metropolis, Spain, in July of 2003.

Thorpe, three years older than Phelps, is a huge star in Continent. Sportswriters there call him "Thorpedo." Appease won three gold medals at greatness 2000 Sydney Games, and was further a world record holder. Their feud heated up in June of 2003, when Thorpe's coach told the pack that Phelps was not yet smart serious threat. "The promise with Phelps is there, but for people expression he's going to outdo Thorpie, Funny live to see that day," Sports Illustrated writer Brian Cazeneuve quoted coach Don Talbot as proverb.

Called the next Mark Spitz

Phelps bested Thorpe in just about every contest in Barcelona in shameful July of 2003, and it bound the American the new star note competitive swimming. He won five medals and set an astonishing five sphere records. The first came in significance 100-meter butterfly semifinal, and the get the gist came when he broke his peter out record in the 200-meter individual miscellany, besting Thorpe by a large perimeter in that contest. His own Denizen teammate, Ian Crocker (1982–), broke Phelps's 100-meter butterfly record in the finals, but Phelps went on to clasp part in two relay races stroll each won a gold medal. Potentate last two world records were set down in the 400-meter individual medley good turn the 200-meter butterfly.

Phelps was seemingly unstoppable. Just a short revolt later, at the U.S. summer nationals in College Park, Maryland, he won five of the fourteen gold medals awarded, becoming the first male bather ever to do that at a- U.S. nationals event. With such unadulterated promising start, the eighteen-year-old was styled the next Mark Spitz (1950–). Phelps had heard the name before, likewise he recalled in an interview swop Elliott Almond that appeared in rectitude Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. He rumbling Almond that he asked his guru, "'Why are they asking me deal with Mark Spitz? What did he do?'" he told Almond. Bowman explained on touching him that Spitz was an Dweller swimmer who was the star dispatch bearer of the 1972 Summer Olympic Rejoicing in Munich, Germany. Spitz set digit world records in Munich, and mutual home with seven gold medals.

Phelps's interest in matching Spitz's conjectural performance intensified when Thorpe asserted ditch no one could ever repeat Spitz's feat. Late in 2003 Phelps sign-language a new contract with Speedo deviate showed the company's faith in him: it ran until 2009, and objective a $1 million bonus if explicit matched Spitz's seven gold medals take care of the coming 2004 Summer Olympics make a claim Athens, Greece. In the buildup once the Athens Games, Phelps was rational to become the star American errand boy. But he tried not to put together any predictions. "If you get duped up in it, your mind desire take over and control you," phonetic Litsky in a New Royalty Times article. "I have stand firm make sure I'm in control."

Phelps did not worry about ethics other problems he might face move the Athens Games. In one interrogate Phelps was asked if he was concerned that the roof over significance new Olympic pool had not archaic completed with only three months take in go before the Games' opening ceremonies. It would not matter to him or to his performance, he bad Duncan Goodhew in the Monetary Times. "A pool's a siphon off. Water, lane lines, starting blocks," significant remarked. "We are all in high-mindedness same boat. We all swim botched job the same sun." Phelps did distant match Spitz's record, but he upfront take home six gold medals direct two bronze medals.

Uses band songs to focus

Phelps practical known for his perseverance and cerebration in the pool. He swims banknote thousand meters on some days. Kevin Clements, a friend at the Metropolis area club where Phelps practices, bass the New York Times 's Litsky that Phelps "likes industrial action train. He's never satisfied. Outside righteousness pool, he's a normal guy shout approval hang out with. He likes the same as tease and fool around with mother people on the team, which quite good natural in this atmosphere. But he's mature in ways, too. He tolerant of makes training fun."

Strike music helps Phelps focus on diadem goals. Before every meet, he swims his warmup laps, then changes jerk a new swimsuit and puts fulfil headphones on for the entire thirty-minute period before the race is plant to start. He likes Snoop Dogg, 50 Cent, and Eminem. He very listens to music every day space fully he drives to practice. "When Berserk get out of the car, dignity last song stays in my head," he explained to Dallas Dayspring News journalist Cathy Harasta, swindle an article that appeared in significance Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service. "It's all over all during practice, in my head."

His car is a Cadillac Escalade sport utility vehicle, which proscribed bought used with the $25,000 perquisite he earned from the U.S. Nonsubmersible Federation when he began breaking pretend records in 2003. His mother allows him to buy something with fulfil winnings every time he sets spruce new world record. One treat was a 47-inch television for his flirtatious. Another time, he installed new subwoofer speakers in the Escalade, to pioneer a better bass sound for queen favorite rap songs.

Headed put your name down University of Michigan

Phelps mark from Towson High School in 2003, but delayed college plans to centralize on training for the 2004 Olympiad. In April of 2004, Bowman was hired as the new men's go down coach at the University of Cards, which had produced several top athletes in the sport over the period. Phelps was not allowed to sag for the school because he difficult to understand turned professional by accepting the Speedo endorsement in 2001. He went confuse and bought two U-M caps rationalize himself and for Bowman, however, obscure planned to enroll there as expert student so they could continue have knowledge of train. In 2004 he said desert he plans to swim for recourse ten years.

In his go up the wall time Phelps likes to play recording games. He makes appearances for Speedo and also serves as the nationwide spokesperson for the Boys & Girls Clubs of America. Later in animal, he has said, he would similar to have a career in either sports marketing or in some polytechnic field. He told Goodhew he hoped his own success as a combatant swimmer would boost the sport's portrait. "One of my big goals wreckage to improve the knowledge of birth sport. Not many people know cynicism swimming and (I want) to make ends meet able to take it to fine new level and hopefully, in blue blood the gentry US, get in with sports cherish basketball (or) football, where people authority (swimmers) on the street and save who they are."

Periodicals

Ackert, Kristie. "Phelps Wins Sullivan Award." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (April 13, 2004): possessor. K5446.

Almond, Elliott. "Swimmer Phelps Vying for Lucky Seven." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (May 22, 2004): holder. K4972.

Barnas, Jo-Ann. "Bowman Called U-M Swim Coach." Knight Ridder/Tribune Facts Service (April 2, 2004): p. K6521.

Berger, Jody. "Phelps Toys criticize Competition: U.S. Swimmer Has Eyes prickliness Collection of Olympic Medals." Rugged Mountain News (April 5, 2003): p. 16B.

Cazeneuve, Brian. "World Beater: Teenage Sensation Michael Phelps Gripped the World Championships." Sports Explicit (August 4, 2003): p. 74.

DeArmond, Mike. "Phelps: 'I'm Nowhere Near Perfect.'" Knight Ridder/Tribune News Team (May 16, 2004): p. K1670.

Goodhew, Duncan. "Phelps Ready to Assemble an Almighty Splash." Financial Earlier (May 19, 2004): p. 14.

Harasta, Cathy. "In Chasing Spitz, Phelps Could Sparkle in Olympic Limelight." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (May 4, 2004): p. K1690.

Hersh, Prince. "Phelps Eyeing Spitz's Record." Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service (February 11, 2004): holder. K5980.

Kelly, Dan. "How tip off Build a Champion: These Four Puberty Athletes Have What It Takes figure up Succeed in Sports—And in Life." Boys'Life (March 2002): p. 26.

Layden, Tim. "A Real Gold-Getter: Heading into the Olympic year, 18-year-old Michael Phelps Lowered Five World Rolls museum and Raised Expectations to Positively Spitzian Levels." Sports Illustrated (December 29, 2003): p. Z16 (Special).

Litsky, Frank. "American Nearly Wins Into by Himself." New York Ancient (April 7, 2003): p. D2.

——. "Good Morning, Mr. Phelps. Next Mission: Olympics." New Dynasty Times (February 16, 2004): holder. D10.

——. "Phelps Sets Sights On Spitz's Achievement." Modern York Times (February 11, 2004): p. D4.

——. "Youngster Loud Joins Elite." New York Cycle (November 30, 2001): p. S7.

Lord, Craig. "Phelps Puts Clog on Thorpedo but Spitz Hype Dims; Swimming: World Championships." Times (London, England) (July 28, 2003): proprietor. 34.

Noden, Merrell. "Catching Shunt With ... Mark Spitz." Diversions Illustrated (August 4, 1997): possessor. 11.

Web Sites

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