Michael Phelps
Profile
full name: Michael Fred Phelps
also known as: Baltimore Bullet, MP
born: June 30, 1985 Baltimore, Maryland, USA
Parents: Fred and Debbie Phelps
physical attributes: Height: 6 ft. 3in. (193 cm)
Weight: 165 (88 kg)
Feet size: 14
Arm span: 200 cm
sport: Swimming
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. Micheal Phelps has won 16 Olympic medalssix gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at Beijing in 2008. Phelps holds the record for the most gold medals won in a single Olympics and his medal total is second only to gymnast Larissa Latynina.
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps