Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps (left) winning 100m butterfly at 2008 Beijing Olympics over Milorad Čavić (right)

Michael Phelps with his long-time coach Bob Bowman

Michael Fred Phelps (born 30 June 1985, known as GOAT, Greatest Of All Time) is an American pool swimmer who has won 22 total Olympic medals: six gold and two bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympics and eight gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, and six at the 2012 London Olympics. Phelps holds the record for the most gold medals won in a single Olympics; his eight at the 2008 Beijing Games surpassed American swimmer Mark Spitz's seven-gold performance at Munich in 1972.

Phelps' Olympic medal total is the most in history with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina the next most decorated Olympian with 18 medals won over three Olympics, including nine gold. Phelps also holds the all-time record for most gold Olympic medals, as well as the record for most gold medals in individual events.

Phelps's international titles and record-breaking performances have earned him the World Swimmer of the Year Award 6 times and American Swimmer of the Year Award 8 times. He has won a total of 66 medals in major international competition spanning the Olympics, the World Championships, and the Pan Pacific Swimming Championships. He was Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year award in 2008.

After the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps started the Michael Phelps Foundation, which focuses on growing the sport of swimming and promoting healthier lifestyles, and help support Swim Across America including BREAKOWT open water swimming training sessions. He was selected as the FINA Athlete of the Year in 2012.

He currently serves as an ambassador for Crystal Lagoons.

Phelps Vs. Shark: The Battle for Ocean Supremacy

Courtesy of SHARK WEEK, filmed off Bimini

External links

• The Times, Talents and Travels of Chris Morgan
• How Times Have Changed From 1962 To The Present
• The Swimming Evolution – From Briefs To Jammers
• No Sights, No Sounds. No Cheers, No Flags. No Worries At The Olympic 10K Marathon Swim
• Tim Ferriss With Michael Phelps And Grant Hackett
• Marathon Swimming Hall Of Famers At The Olympics
• Why Michael Phelps Could Be A Great Open Water Swimmer
• Swimming Like a Dolphin
• Michael Phelps Facebook page
• Michael Phelps website
• The Joy of Victory in the Pool and Open Water
• No Way, No How. Not Me, Not Now
• No Michael in the Open Water in 2012
• A Really Special Olympian, Michael Phelps
• Swim Are Golden In Baltimore
• Michael Phelps Putting Around The Open Water
• Open Water Swimming
• Outstanding Swimming TV Commercials
• 2012 FINA Athletes of the Year
• The Most Interesting Man In The Open Water World
• Michael Phelps To Make A Huge Splash In The Open Water
• BREAKOWT
• Eating Right
• Do Masters Rules Rule Or What In Open Water Butterfly?
• Measuring And Maximizing Dolphining In The Open Water
• Why Swimmers Will Only Get Much, Much Faster
• Open Water Swimming Predictions For 2014
• Bob Bowman Loves Deck-ups And Ins And Outs Too
• What Makes Great Swimmers?
• Jason Dunford Seeing The Future Of Swimming In Kenya
• Fantastically Fast Freestyle With Friends
• Good Turns Versus Poor Turns In The Open Water
• The Swimming Evolution - From Briefs To Jammers
• Eliminating The Secrecy At FINA
• Stay Thirsty With The Most Interesting Men In The World
• Duke Was Well Ahead Of His Time
• Re-invention Through Butterfly, Making Up For Lost Time
• What Is The Pitch For Swimming In America?
• Swimming The Race Of Your Life - Mark Warkentin
• Anything Is Possible - Within Reason - In The Open Water
• Golden Goggles...And The Nominees Are...
• Why Wilimovsky Should Win The Golden Goggles
• Swimming Like Olympians In The Open Water
• Open Water Swimmers Head To The Pool
• Training For The Olympics, It's What You Do In The Dark
• Are The Olympics Fair? Is Swimming A Clean Sport?
• Athletes On Athletes Who Take Drugs
• Cupping Versus KAATSU
• What Can We Learn From Olympic Swimmers?
• Marveling About Nelson
• The GOAT vs. The GWS
• Michael Phelps Moves Towards The Open Water
• Swimming Swiftly With Sound Science
• The People Behind The Feeding Sticks