Phelps, Started Career at Towson's Loyola Pool

Michael Phelps was born on June 30, 1985 to Fred (a state trooper) and Debbie (middle-school teacher) Phelps. The family lived in Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. Fred was a good athlete, and passed his ability on to his kids. Michael along with his 2 sisters got into swimming at an early age. One of the turning points for Michael came when he saw swimmers Tom Malchow and Tom Dolan compete at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. The 11-year-old began to dream of becoming a champion himself.

He had started his swimming career at Towson’s Loyola High School pool. He met Bob Bowman when he moved on to the North Baltimore Aquatic Club at the Meadowbrook Aquatic and Fitness Center for better facilities and more professional coaching. The coach recognized Michael’s potential immediately.

In 1999, Michael earned a spot on the U.S. National B Team. At the Junior Nationals, he broke a record in the 200-meter butterfly for the 20-year-old age group. Michael’s ascent through the U.S. swimming ranks accelerated in 2000. At the Spring Nationals, he finished third in the 200-meter butterfly. At 15, Michael became the youngest swimmer to compete for the U.S. in the Olympics in 68 years. He acquitted himself well, touching the wall in fifth place in the 200-meter butterfly. Michael ended the year ranked 7th in the world in the 200-meter butterfly and 44th in the 400-meter individual medley.

Michael entered 2001 poised to take another huge step in his career, and staged his coming out party at the Phillips 66 National Championships that August. First he set a world record in 200-meter butterfly at 1:54.92. Then he captured the gold in the 100-meter butterfly. After winning the 200-meter butterfly at the Pan Pacific Championships, Michael ended his year in style by bettering his own mark in the event at the World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. The owner of his first international medal, he pushed his world record to 1:54.58.

At the 2002 U.S. Nationals in Ft. Lauderdale, he notched four wins—in the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly and the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley. His time of 4:11.09 in the 400 established a new world mark. Michael was equally dominant at the Pan Pacific Championships. After golds in the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley and a silver in the 200-meter butterfly, he helped America’s four-man team to victory in the 400-meter medley in a world-record time of 3:33.48. After graduating from high school in 2003, Michael shifted his focus to the U.S. Spring National Championships. His victories came in the 200-meter freestyle, 200-meter backstroke and 100-meter butterfly. In U.S. Summer Nationals, he became the first man to claim five national titles in a single meet.

His victories—in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 400-meter freestyle, 200-meter backstroke and 200-meter individual medley—proved he was more than just a master of the butterfly. Michael Phelps shattered his own world record in Athens by wining the Olympic gold at Men's 400-meter Individual Medley. Michael wants to transform his sport the way other great athletes like Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods have.