| Rank | Event | Year | Location | Result |
| Olympic Games | ||||
| 1 | 200m Freestyle | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 1:42.96 |
| 1 | 100m Butterfly | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 50.58 |
| 1 | 200m Butterfly | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 1:52.03 |
| 1 | 200m Individual Medley | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 1:54.23 |
| 1 | 400m Individual Medley | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 4:03.84 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 3:08.24 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 6:58.56 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2008 | Beijing, CHN | 3:29.34 |
| 1 | 100m Butterfly | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 51.25 |
| 1 | 200m Butterfly | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 1:54.04 |
| 1 | 200m Individual Medley | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 1:57.14 |
| 1 | 400m Individual Medley | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 4:08.26 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 7:07.33 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 3:30.68 |
| 3 | 200m Freestyle | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 1:45.32 |
| 3 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2004 | Athens, GRE | 3:14.62 |
| 5 | 200m Butterfly | 2000 | Sydney, NSW, AUS | 1:56.50 |
| World Championships | ||||
| 1 | 100m Butterfly | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 50.71 |
| 1 | 200m Butterfly | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 1:53.34 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 7:02.67 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 3:32.06 |
| 1 | 100m Butterfly | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 49.82 |
| 1 | 200m Butterfly | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 1:51.51 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 3:09.21 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 6:58.55 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 3:27.28 |
| 1 | 200m Freestyle | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 1:43.86 |
| 1 | 100m Butterfly | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 50.77 |
| 1 | 200m Butterfly | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 1:52.09 |
| 1 | 200m Individual Medley | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 1:54.98 |
| 1 | 400m Individual Medley | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 4:06.22 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 3:12.72 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2007 | Melbourne, VIC, AUS | 7:03.24 |
| 1 | 200m Freestyle | 2005 | Montreal, QC, CAN | 1:45.20 |
| 1 | 200m Individual Medley | 2005 | Montreal, QC, CAN | 1:56.68 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2005 | Montreal, QC, CAN | 3:13.77 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2005 | Montreal, QC, CAN | 7:06.58 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2005 | Montreal, QC, CAN | 3:31.85 |
| 1 | 200m Butterfly | 2003 | Barcelona, ESP | 1:54.35 |
| 1 | 200m Individual Medley | 2003 | Barcelona, ESP | 1:56.04 |
| 1 | 400m Individual Medley | 2003 | Barcelona, ESP | 4:09.09 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2003 | Barcelona, ESP | 3:31.54 |
| 1 | 200m Butterfly | 2001 | Fukuoka, JPN | 1:54.58 |
| 2 | 200m Freestyle | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 1:44.79 |
| 2 | 200m Individual Medley | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 1:54.16 |
| 2 | 200m Freestyle | 2009 | Rome, ITA | 1:43.22 |
| 2 | 100m Butterfly | 2005 | Montreal, QC, CAN | 51.65 |
| 2 | 100m Butterfly | 2003 | Barcelona, ESP | 51.10 |
| 2 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2003 | Barcelona, ESP | 7:10.26 |
| 3 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2011 | Shanghai, CHN | 3:11.96 |
| Pan Pacific Championships | ||||
| 1 | 100m Butterfly | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 50.86 |
| 1 | 200m Butterfly | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 1:54.11 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Freestyle Relay | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 3:11.74 |
| 1 | 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 7:03.84 |
| 1 | 4 x 100m Medley Relay | 2010 | Irvine, CA, USA | 3:32.48 |
Nickname
MP. (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
Hobbies
Playing video games, watching television. (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
Occupation
Athlete
Education
Sports Management - University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
Language(s) spoken
English
Club name
North Baltimore Aquatic Club, Baltimore, MD, USA
Coach
Bob Bowman (USA) from 1997 (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
Position and style
Individual Medley (Michael Phelps, 22 Jan 2007)
Other sports
His older sister, Whitney, was a member of the U.S. team at the 1995 FINA World Championships (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
Debut
2000 for United States, Olympic Games (Australia) (Baltimoresun.com, 17 Jan 2004)
Injuries
In October 2007, he broke a small bone in his wrist when he tripped and fell while getting into a car. Doctors inserted a pin to stabilise his wrist with a thin scar the only evidence of the mishap. He returned to training in November. (AP, 05 Nov 2007)
Additional information
Start of sporting career
He started swimming at the age of five. From the age of 11, his coach Bob Bowman insisted he work on all four swimming strokes. (michaelphelps.com, 21 Jun 2005; Chicago Tribune, 21 Jul 2003)
Reason for taking up this sport
His sisters were swimming and he followed them into the sport. (michaelphelps.com, 21 Jun 2005)
Ambitions
To grow his IM charity project, developed through the Michael Phelps Foundation, which offers water safety, personal health and swim training sessions. (ESPN, 02 Jul 2012; BBC, 10 Jul 2012)
Training
He has reduced his swimming training to about 50km a week and does weight training three times a week. For recovery, his trainer uses little metal crowbars to loosen up Phelps' muscles. He also uses ice baths and sleeps in an altitude chamber, set to about 8,000 feet. (Details Magazine, 15 Jul 2012)
Most memorable sporting achievement
Winning his first major gold medal in the 200m butterfly at the 2001 World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. "I worked so hard to get there and when I did it was an amazing feeling." (michaelphelps.com, 23 Apr 2008)
Hero
The USA's world and Olympic champion butterfly swimmer Pablo Morales and NBA basketball legend Michael Jordan. (USA Today, 13 Aug 2000; USA Swimming 12 Jul 2011)
Most influential person in career
His mother because of everything she has done for him. (US Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
Superstitions / Rituals
He listens to music before competing. (Michael Phelps, 21 Jun 2005)
Sporting philosophy / motto
"The solution lies within us." [Bob Bowman] (The Times, 20 Nov 2007)
Awards
He is a five-time USA Swimming Swimmer of the Year - 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2008. (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
He was named as World Swimming Magazine's World Swimmer of the Year for 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009. (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 01 Jan 2011)
At the 2008 Olympic Games, he made history by winning eight gold medals, more than any other athlete at an Olympic Games. (USA Swimming, 16 Jul 2012)
He was named as the US Olympic Committee's Sportsman of the Year in 2004 and 2008. (teamusa.org, 01 Jan 2009)
He was named Sports Illustrated magazine's Sportsman of the Year in 2008. (USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
At the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne he became the first male swimmer to set two world records in different events in the one day and the first swimmer to win seven gold medals at a World Championships. (The Times, 20 Nov 2007)
His home city of Baltimore renamed a street Michael Phelps Way in his honour. (Michael Phelps web, 03 Aug 2005)
At the 2004 Olympic Games he tied Mark Spitz's Olympic record of winning four gold medals in individual events. His total haul of eight medals at the Games also tied the 1980 record held by Soviet Union gymnast Alexandr Dityatin for the most medals won by an athlete at a single Olympic Games in all sports. (US Swimming, 21 Jun 2005)
He was named Swimmer of the Meet at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona, Spain, after winning four gold medals [six medals in total] and breaking five world records. (US Swimming, 21 Jun 2005)
In 2003, he won the USA's Amateur Athletic Union's [AAU] Sullivan Award as the country's outstanding amateur athlete. He was the first swimmer to win the award since Janet Evans in 1989. (VOA, 14 Apr 2004; USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
At the 2000 Olympic Games, at age 15, he was the youngest swimmer to represent USA at an Olympic Games since 1932. He became the youngest man to break a world record when he broke the 200m butterfly mark at the 2001 US Spring Nationals at age 15 and nine months. (USA Swimming, 16 Jul 2012)
General
RETURN TO THE POOL AFTER BEIJING 2008
He contemplated retirement after winning eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympic Games and, after missing swimming practices, gained 25 pounds. "Through 2009 and 2010 I was like ‘what am I doing, why am I doing this?' I still had more goals I wanted to achieve, but I didn't know if I wanted to put myself through another four years. I wasn't motivated. I did nothing, literally nothing, for a long time. A friend of mine and I were playing football on the beach in Miami, and somebody got a picture of us and put it all over the place. And he's like, ‘Bro, you gotta start working out, man. You are fat.' So I started going through the motions again. I would go back for a week or two and then stop. I'd show up for dry-land practice and then just sneak out the back door so nobody saw me." (NBCOlympics.com, 21 Jun 2012; Details magazine, 15 Jul 2012)
PLANS TO RETIRE AFTER 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES
In May 2012 he announced on US television news program 60 Minutes that he planned to retire after the 2012 Olympic Games in London. He chose a slightly lessened load for the 2012 Games, eliminating the 200m freestyle event from his programme. That left him with seven events, one less than his programme at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing. "It depends on how big of a cherry I want to put on top of my sundae and I think what I have right now is plenty big." He has said that nothing will change his mind about retiring. "I've always said I don't want to swim past 30 and I know if I go one more, I'll be over 30. I don't want to ever be that person where people are like, God, he's this old and he's still doing it or he's been around for this long. So once I'm able to accomplish the goals that I have, if I can look back at my career and say I've been successful, that's all that matters to me." (SI.com, 10 May 2012; 60 Minutes, 06 May 2012)
PHYSIQUE BUILT FOR SWIMMING
While most people have an armspan equivalent to their height, Phelps has a reach some three inches [7.6cm] longer than his height. He has broad shoulders, a large torso, small hips and comparatively short legs, providing minimal resistance in the water. He has size 14 feet and is double-jointed in his elbows, knees and ankles. (Reuters, 14 Aug 2008; Baltimore Sun, 09 Mar 2004)
FILM, BOOKS, GAME, PROMO
He co-starred in 'Unfiltered' the first behind-the-scenes documentary in the sport of swimming. The film details the life, friendship and rivalry of him and fellow Olympian Ian Crocker. In 2004 he co-authored a book entitled "Michael Phelps: Beneath the Surface" with Sports Illustrated magazine's Brian Cazaneuve, and in 2011 it was announced that he would be the star of a new computer game titled Michael Phelps - Push the Limit. In the game for the Xbox Kinect the player takes the role of an up-and-coming swimmer being trained by Phelps. "In my world, it takes a lifetime of dedication to get one-hundredth of a second ahead, and I believe Push The Limit offers players a unique journey inside swimming." In 2011 he also agreed a deal to become the global face for anti-dandruff brand Head and Shoulders. (swimmingworldmagazine.com, 17 Nov 2011; bbc.co.uk, 04 Feb 2011; Michael Phelps, 22 Jan 2007, and USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
CHARITY
He is involved in Path Finders for Autism, is a spokesperson for the Boys and Girls Club of America and volunteers as a motivational speaker for students in the Baltimore area's school system. In 2008, he set up the Michael Phelps Foundation, focused on growing the sport of swimming and promoting active and healthy lives, especially for children. He also has a swim school named after him - The Michael Phelps Swim School programme set up in 2009 for all ages and abilities. (mpswimschool.com, 01 Jan 2010; michaelphelpsfoundation.org, 01 Jan 2011;USA Swimming, 12 Jul 2011)
RECREATIONAL DRUGS BAN
He was banned from competing for three months after a recreational drugs c
Previous Olympics
Beijing 2008, Athens 2004, Sydney 2000
