Hobbies of Michael Phelps at the moment. The man who defeated everyone! Michael Phelps. History of success. Baltimore Bullet and Other Olympic Champions

Michael Fred Phelps II (born Michael Fred Phelps II; June 30, 1985, Baltimore, Maryland, USA) is an outstanding American swimmer, the only 18-time Olympic champion in the history of sports, a 22-time Olympic medalist and a 26-time world champion in a 50 meter pool. Absolute medal record holder in the history of the Olympic Games. On XXX Summer Olympics in London, he broke the medal record of Larisa Latynina, who lasted 48 years. The sports nickname is The Baltimore Bullet. Michael is strongest in freestyle and butterfly, slightly weaker in backstroke and breaststroke. He also successfully performs in complex swimming.
“In the six years before the 2004 Olympics, you didn’t have a single day off. How did you cope with such a regime? Bob Bowman (Michael’s coach) and I could not talk properly until 8 in the morning because I was in a terrible mood. I like to get up so early. Diving in a cold pool in the morning is not fun at all. But those six years were my sacrifice, which I made to achieve my ideal form. Therefore, I went to bed before 10 pm every day and got up at 6:30. When I was a child, I was ready for anything.Everything that Bob asked me to do, I did 10 times better.I wanted to be the best.I still want to.
You have a two-meter span of arms, a long torso and flexible joints, but your trainer considers your mental stability to be your main asset. How do you deal with pressure? When you come to an important competition, you have already gone through all the training. You forget about everything and climb the step to do what you were preparing for. You can't go back and fix something. What will happen will happen. If you lose, you just bounce back and try again.
with coach Bob Boyman
I told Bob (Bob Bowman - Michael Phelps' coach) that I always looked up to Michael Jordan, to his achievements and managed to become the best swimmer of all time. I told Bob that we achieved all this together, and he replied that it was not fair, because I was alone in the pool. There are tears in my eyes, the same tears in Bob's eyes. I wouldn't be standing here without him. I love my coach very much. I am very grateful to him for having him.

How are you recovering? My trainer Keenan (Robinson) uses Graston metal tools to relieve tension in the muscles of his shoulders, back and legs. It's quite a painful experience. In the process, I often swear, and after that I walk in bruises for two days. I also use ice baths. And at home I sleep in a pressure chamber set to a height of about 2.5 thousand meters. All this helps me to be in the best shape every time I jump into the pool.
with girlfriend Megan Rossi


Experts say that the secret of Phelps is in the flexibility of the body and unique muscles, extremely elastic and recovering very quickly. There is also an opinion that he wins due to the non-standard proportions of his body. He has a long and thin torso, short legs with a size 46 foot, broad shoulders and Long hands: with a height of 193 centimeters, their span is 201 centimeters. This is unusual because the height must exceed the "wingspan". In addition, Michael has a super-elastic ankle that allows him to arch his foot even more than ballerinas do.

I think everyone pees in the pool. For swimmers, this is normal. When we have to spend two hours in the water, we just don't have time to go pee. Chlorine cleans everything, so I don’t see anything wrong with that.” Has anything changed since the Beijing Olympics? For example, there is a known case when you left for Las Vegas when the coach was waiting for you at the pool. At that time, I had nothing. It was strange to reach the pinnacle of my career, eight gold medals, and not know what to do next. I didn't have motivation. I messed around for a long time, gained 10 kg of weight. One day, my friend and I were playing football on the beach in Miami and someone took a picture of me, posting pictures all over the place with comments about how I need to start training. That's why I started training again. I worked out for a week or two and then quit. And then there was a picture with marijuana. Was it a brutal blow after everything you've done? It was a mistake that I learned from. I am the type of person who learns from their mistakes.








with mom When I was growing up, my mother taught us to make decisions on our own, but she always said that you need to take responsibility for your decisions. For this I am grateful to her. I am the first to admit that I have made thousands of mistakes, but I have not made one of them twice.


some childhood photos

As a child, he was sent to the swimming section only for the purpose of improving his health, as he was a rather sickly boy. To be more precise, his diagnosis was: "Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder." Among the symptoms of this disease: hyperactivity, impulsivity, forgetfulness, a constant sense of impending disaster, as well as a tendency to fail and inability to complete the task. Phelps constantly took away pens and pencils from classmates, was distracted in class, looking into their notebooks. Will you keep swimming when your career is over? I don't know yet what my sporting future will be like. Many of my friends are into Insanity and P90X. I love to play basketball and golf. I will continue to swim with the Michael Phelps Organization. We have already helped over 3,000 children learn how to swim, and we also teach them how to set goals and make the right decisions for a healthy and active lifestyle. I have always enjoyed showing these kids that they can achieve anything if they only set themselves the right goals. Updated on 12/08/12 16:58: Updated on 12/08/12 17:48: Updated on 12/08/12 19:53: exhilarating voice of Michael

Swimmer Michael Phelps is the most titled athlete in the history of mankind. An American phenomenon is a twenty-three-time Olympic champion. In total, there are twenty-eight Olympic medals and twenty-six gold medals won at the world championships in the Phelps collection.

Born 06/30/1985

Achievements:

• The absolute record holder in the history of the Olympic Games in the number of gold awards (23) and the total number of medals (28).
• 13-time Olympic champion in individual distances (Athens-2004 - 200 and 400 m individual medley, 100 and 200 m butterfly, Beijing 2008 - 200 and 400 m individual medley, 100 and 200 m butterfly, 200 m freestyle, London- 2012 - 200m medley, 100m butterfly, Rio de Janeiro 2016 - 200m medley, 200m butterfly).
• 10-time Olympic champion in relay races (Athens-2004 - 4 × 200 m freestyle, 4 × 100 m combined styles, Beijing 2008 - 4 × 100 and 4 × 200 m freestyle, 4 × 100 m combined styles, London- 2012 - 4x200m freestyle, 4x100m medley, Rio de Janeiro-2016 - 4x100 and 4x200m freestyle, 4x100m medley).
• 26 times world champion.
• Holder of 37 world records.
• World Swimmer of the Year in 2003, 2004, 2006-2009, 2012.
• US Swimmer of the Year 2001-2004, 2006-2009, 2012.

From fidget to the US team

Phelps started swimming at the age of seven, joining the section with his sisters. From early childhood, Michael was not like other children, doctors even diagnosed him with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder. Being a fidget, he needed somewhere to put his energy, so the pool for the boy was very useful.

In the section, Phelps quickly attracted the attention of the coach, who took up the new student in earnest. Michael regularly breaks US records for children and youths across all ages and becomes a candidate for the main national team. The young swimmer goes to his first Olympics in Sydney and comes fifth in the 200m butterfly. And this at fifteen!

The first victory at the adult level comes to Phelps a year later, at the 2001 World Cup, after which the American falls into the field of vision of the fans, who two years later began to admire Michael. And it was for that - Phelps at the World Championships in Barcelona showed himself to be a multi-stationer, becoming the champion in the 200m butterfly, and also winning both heats in the complex. It is impossible not to note the versatility of the American - he adds gold to his victories in personal heats as part of the combined relay.

sixfold

It is obvious that Athens-2004 will be the high point of the swimmer who has rapidly burst into the world elite. And so it happened - Phelps won six gold medals, having won two victories in his profile distances in butterfly and complex, plus, twice became the champion in relay races - 4 × 200 m freestyle and combined.

But that's not all - Michael won bronze in the most stellar swim of the Olympics - the 200-meter freestyle, imposing a serious fight on van den Hoogenband. Sometimes there was a feeling that Phelps did not get out of the pool - the next qualification was replaced by the final swim and vice versa.

At the 2005 World Championships, Phelps allows himself a little "rest", reducing the number of disciplines. Michael took away four gold medals from Montreal. Melbourne is another matter. At the 2007 World Championships, Phelps decided to hold a dress rehearsal for the Olympics in Beijing. Seven finals - seven victories - one hundred percent result! To two victories in butterfly, complex and relay races, Michael added success at a distance of 200 meters freestyle.

fourteen times

Definitely, Phelps is becoming the best swimmer in the world, and now everyone is worried about two questions - will Michael overtake Mark Spitz in the number of victories in one Olympics (the legendary American swimmer became the seven-time champion of Munich in 1972) and will he become the most titled Olympian in history? In China, Michael answers positively to both questions, winning eight gold medals. Phelps becomes a champion in all types of programs in which he took part - it's fantastic!

After a grandiose triumph, Phelps slows down a bit at the 2009 World Championships in Rome - refusing to compete in the complex, Michael takes “only” two golds in the butterfly in personal heats, but with world records. Two years later, in Shanghai, Phelps traditionally wins both butterfly heats and again goes to the start in the complex (200 m) - however, he is content with silver, as in the 200-meter freestyle.

eighteenfold

It is clear that Phelps will not be able to keep up with Beijing at the London Olympics. Somewhere he lowered the requirements for himself, perhaps age began to affect - Phelps did not apply for a distance of 200 meters freestyle. Therefore, he does not plan to repeat his Beijing triumph. London brought Michael four golds: in two relay races - combined and 4 × 200 in / c, as well as in the "short" butterfly and complex - 100 and 200 meters, respectively. Phelps for the first time since 2000 did not become a champion in the 200-meter butterfly, and in the 400-meter medley he became the fourth at all.

Shortly after London, Phelps announced the end sports career. This decision seemed logical - he is the best swimmer in history, having conquered incredible peaks. Michael's rivals breathed a sigh of relief - now the path to the podium is open. They diligently prepare for the 2016 Olympics, compete for medals at the World Championships, but in 2014 they learn that Phelps is returning to the sport and plans to dive into the pool again in Rio de Janeiro to leave it after the Olympics.

twenty-three times

Phelps comes to Rio in the status of a dark horse - no one knows what the American multichampion is capable of. The first preliminary swims show that Phelps is ready and will fight for gold again in all heats. In Brazil, Michael decided to further shorten his program of performances by removing the 400 m complex from it. But at a distance half as short, Phelps becomes the champion for the fourth time in a row - a unique case!

Michael wins his fourth Olympic gold medals in two of his favorite relay races - the combined and freestyle 4 × 200 m. In the half-time relay race, the Americans regain the champion status lost in London - Phelps, as usual, is in the championship four. In the butterfly, Michael is rehabilitated in 2012 in the 200m, but in the "hundredth" he becomes the second.

After winning five gold medals in Brazil and becoming a twenty-three-time Olympic champion, Phelps announces his retirement from the sport, this time for good. It's worth it to leave as a winner; leaving as a champion to come back astonishing the world again and leaving swimming is an act worth bowing down to.

It is not known whether a person will appear on earth who can beat Michael's record for the number of Olympic victories, but it is already clear today that this athlete will be from another planet, because Phelps left such a mark in history that ordinary person clearly not feasible.

Michael Phelps born June 30 1985 of the year. His father Fred Phelps was a police officer and his mother Debbie Phelps was a teacher. The Michael Phelps family lived in Baltimore (Maryland, USA).

Michael started swimming at the age of 7 when his two older sisters, Whitney ( 1978 year of birth) and Hilary ( 1980 year of birth), accepted into the local swimming team. AT 1994 In 1998, his parents divorced, and the children began to live with their mother, with whom Michael still has a very close relationship.

Michael met his coach, Bob Bowman, while training at the Swim Club in North Baltimore. Bob immediately recognized the potential of Michael and became his coach, who trains him now.

At 15, Michael Phelps became the youngest Olympic swimmer in American swimming history. He participated with the American team in the Sydney Olympics ( 2000 d), although he came there only fifth.

spring 2001 Phelps set the world record in the 200m butterfly and became the youngest swimmer in history to set a world record. He was then 15 years and 9 months old. He later broke his record at the World Swimming Championships. 2001 of the year in 1:54:58, earning his first international medal.

2002 year brought Phelps participation in the American Summer National Competitions (U.S. Summer Nationals). And a few more records: a new world record in the 400m medley and US records in the 100m butterfly and 200m medley. At the same competition next year Phelps broke his own 400m medley world record in 4:09.09.

Shortly after graduating from Towson High School (a suburb of Baltimore) in 2003 17 year old Michael Phelps set 5 world records including the 200m medley at the World Swimming Championships in Barcelona with a time of 1:56:04. Then during the qualifying competitions for the Olympics 2004 he again broke his own world record in the 400m medley, covering the distance in 4:08:41.

Phelps became a celebrity after the Olympics 2004 years in Athens, where he earned 8 medals (6 of them gold). So he repeated the record of the Russian gymnast Alexander Dityatin for the total number of medals received in one Olympics, set by Dityatin in 1980 Phelps won gold in 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m medley, 4x200 freestyle and 4x100 medley, bronze in 200m freestyle and 4x100 freestyle. He also set 3 Olympic records and 1 world record.

AT 2004 Bob Bowman was transferred to Michigan and Michael went with him. He entered the University of Michigan in the Department of Sports Marketing and Management, continuing to train under the guidance of his coach.

AT 2007 Phelps took part in the World Championships in Melbourne, where he won 7 gold medals, setting 5 new world records. In preparation for the Olympic Games 2008 , Phelps set himself the task of breaking the record of his compatriot Mark Spitz, who at the Olympics 1972 year in Munich won 7 gold awards.

At the Beijing Olympics 2008 Phelps became a real sensation, winning 8 gold medals. He won the 400m medley, 200m butterfly, 200m freestyle, 200m medley, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle, 4x100m medley and 4x200m freestyle relays. In all heats except the 100m butterfly, Michael set world records. So he broke the record of his great predecessor and compatriot Mike Spitz for the amount of gold won at one Olympics. Having won 14 Olympic gold medals in his career, Michael Phelps has become a titled athlete in the world.

At the London Olympics in 2012 year by total number Olympic awards Michael surpassed all athletes in all sports - 20 medals, breaking the record (18), held for 48 years, and also became a 16-time Olympic champion.

Outside the pool, Phelps leads the same life as everyone else. He likes to play golf and Halo 3 on the computer, watch TV, listen to hip-hop, eat popcorn. Own free time he spends with his friends and English bulldog Herman.

What remains to be done by an athlete who has defeated everyone? No, not figuratively, but in fact - everyone! He even defeated the ancient athlete Leonid of Rhodes, whose achievements became the legend of the Olympic Games. So what should this athlete do? Michael Phelps made his choice: he decided to challenge the white shark at a distance of 100 meters and ... lost. Well, now he has something to strive for again.

Of course, Michael did not compete with a real shark: that would be crazy. The shark was "forced" to swim a hundred meters on top speed, recorded her passage of the distance, and then Phelps swam along with her computer imitation on the air of the Discovery Channel. The loss was only 2 seconds.

"Baltimore Bullet"

Michael was born in the American city of Baltimore in 1985. He has been in the pool since the age of 7, and not at all because the future champion has demonstrated some outstanding abilities since childhood. He was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the sport was an attempt to teach Michael to concentrate and release stress. It really helped.

True, Michael suffered from one phobia ... He could not lower his face into the water, so he swam on his back. But gradually, with the help of coach Bob Bowman, this was also overcome. And also to help the boy concentrate on achievements and victories, to believe in himself (for children with ADHD, this can be a problem). Already at the age of 10, Michael set a national record for his age, and at the age of 15 he participated in his first Olympics.

Unique

The second nickname of Michael Phelps is "flying fish". He really does not just swim, but flies, developing incredible speed. This is helped by the unique physique of the athlete:

• Phelps's height is 193 cm and his arm span is 201 cm, which is an unusual ratio: he is usually taller than his arm span.
• Michael's ankle is more flexible than a ballerina's: thanks to this, the movements of the swimmer's legs greatly increase his speed. And 47 foot size is still increasing the advantage.
• Michael has a long torso and relatively short legs: the perfect combination for a swimmer.
• Thanks to his unique metabolism, Michael can train much longer than other athletes without feeling sore muscles: he produces less lactic acid than most people. Namely, it causes pain and causes athletes to stop training.

Michael Phelps Achievements

Enumerate the achievements of Michael Phelps can be long. He is a truly unique athlete who proves with his records that everything is possible, you just need to do your job honestly and believe in lucky star. Phelps became the only 23-time Olympic champion in history. And most likely, this achievement can no longer be surpassed. In total, there are 28 Olympic medals of various denominations in his collection. The Baltimore Bullet holds 37 world records in big pool(and this is not counting the records set in the 25-meter). And in his native USA, he became the winner of the national championship more than 50 times at different distances.

What does Michael himself think? “The main thing they taught me is not to notice how time flies in training. Classes on the side and on the water for two and a half - three hours every day were the norm for me. I set a goal: to always be the first. Somewhere it turned out, in something it didn’t, but I never deviated from this rule. My favorite swimmer, Pablo Morales, who won the Olympics in 1984 and 1992, said that there is a universal recipe for victory: you need to completely go into your tension, and you will definitely get the desired result.”

Support Group

But the only secret of Michael Phelps cannot be his unique physique and tenacity. Without support, none of us can open up to 100. The people who are always with Michael are his mother and sisters.

And here we come to the most important thing. Who knows what would have been the fate of an awkward boy who could not sit still for five minutes if his mother did not believe in him. True, she herself was the director of the school and saw different children in her lifetime. Maybe this helped her when her own son ran into difficulties.

At school, she was told that a child with such a lack of concentration would never achieve anything. What did Debbie Phelps say to them? "What are you doing to help him?" She went with her son to training, followed the changes in his behavior. When she realized that the boy could not always control his emotions, she came up with special signs: she showed them to Michael from the podium, and he understood that feelings should be suppressed. Debbie was always there, and at the Athens Olympics, Michael stepped down from the podium to give his mother a bouquet and a wreath of the winner.

Also in the group of Michael's loyal fans are his older sisters. If girls didn't swim, younger brother, perhaps, and would not have spent so much time in the pool. They were always friendly, and Michael reached out for Hilary and Whitney. And today they are happy for him from the stands.

Mascot

Michael Phelps with Nicole Johnson and son

"He is my talisman and my support." So Michael said about his son Boomer, who was born in 2016 and managed to visit the Rio Olympics with his mother Nicole Johnson, where Michael won again and again. His Nicole, the former Miss California, is by his side.

True, it was not always so. They met in 2007 and broke up in 2008. They started dating again in 2010, but broke up a year later. In 2013, Michael called Nicole again ... Both he and she had attempts to find other lovers, but they were unsuccessful. "We missed each other Nicole admitted. — We both had different relationships, but neither he nor I could find anyone who understood us as much as we understand each other.

Not without problems

There is no way to say about Michael Phelps that he is a person who has no problems. He has a difficult relationship with his father. He was suspended from competition for smoking marijuana. He completed and resumed his career. He was arrested for drunk driving and was treated in a special clinic. However, Michael finds the strength to admit his mistakes and move on.

He doesn't want to compete anymore swimming. Michael Phelps plays in poker tournaments, participates in hearings on the issue of doping in sports, and participates in public life(at the children's sports award, he even allowed himself to be poured with gold paint from head to toe). “We miss Michael, he is missing in the team. But at the same time, we are happy that he opened a new chapter in his life and focused on his family.”, said American swimmer Kathleen Ledecky. And we, the fans, also miss, but the legend of Michael Phelps has already developed. And it became a part of our life.