Phelps phenomenon: a swimmer broke a record set more than two thousand years ago

Personal data

• Name: Michael
• Last name: Phelps
• Date of Birth: 30.05.1985
• Place of birth: Baltimore, Maryland, USA
• Occupation: swimmer
• Height: 193 cm
• Weight: 91 kg

Michael Phelps can, without any doubt, be called a legendary athlete, not only in his swimming discipline, but also in the sports world as a whole. He is the owner of so many awards that it is difficult to count them. His main achievement, of course, is considered to be the title of 23-time Olympic champion, the only one in history.

Michael Phelps: “Hair is the enemy of speed”

In a good way, Michael Phelps was a sensation in 2008 when he won the magnificent eight in Beijing, hanging like grotesque beads from his strong swimmer's neck. This year, taking six more and bringing his medal stock to 22, Phelps became the athlete of the decade, century, millennium, or whatever time has passed since the first ancient race of bare-bottomed athletes. Having thrown the eternal Larisa Latynina (Soviet gymnast, 9-time Olympic champion) off the golden pedestal, 27-year-old Phelps became the main Olympian of all time - after which he immediately announced his retirement. It was for these achievements that he won another prize - the GQ Man of the Year 2012 award in the International Man of the Year category. Our correspondent interviewed a man who has nothing more to wish for.

— Your next career step is the reality show The Haney Project, in which Tiger Woods' coach Hank Haney will teach you how to swing a club correctly. Why golf - to show the world that Phelps is capable of something outside the pool?

— First of all, because I love golf. Then there's the chance to work with a legend like Haney. I started playing completely spontaneously about a year and a half ago. Golf is a great way to remind yourself that you don't know how to do anything, and it's also an excuse to spend as much time outdoors as possible. Golf, unlike swimming, can be practiced all your life - I think in twenty or thirty years I will start to get good at it. I remain an athlete everywhere and do not like to lose, so now my walks with a stick are saturated with self-deprecation.

** - I can’t believe that Phelps can do anything bad. **

— With putting (“a rolling blow,” which is how the ball is driven into the hole. — Ed.), things are not going well for me - I continue to drive myself into traps, from which I then cannot get out. But my main weakness is that I don’t train enough. I hit hard, but inaccurately - I can sandal the ball so that it doesn’t seem too small, but it flies completely in the wrong direction. There were times when I threw a stick in despair, I won’t hide it.

“12 years ago, no one cared about swimming. Now swimmers sign contracts with sponsors and appear on magazine covers.”

** — You said that you hope to change competitive swimming forever with your career. Looking back on the path you've traveled - hunched over under the weight of medals - do you think you succeeded? **

- I think yes. When I first started, I immediately told myself that I would only end my career when I left my mark. Needless to say, I managed to do it - in a very fundamental way. Swimming as a sport has undergone very strong changes. Twelve years ago, no one really cared. Now swimmers have the opportunity to enter into contracts with sponsors, appear on covers and do their own thing without thinking about money. Next - technological innovations, the same swimming suits. In the 70s, 80s, 90s it was common to think that the less a swimmer wore, the faster he swam. It turned out that the opposite is true - the larger the suit, the faster the swimmer. Any sport goes through a revolutionary stage of innovation. Now, thanks to the attention that has been given to swimming, scientists have been able to tackle the problem of materials for swimming suits and determine which material is more water-resistant than human skin and which is less so. Thanks to this, only in the last ten years swimming has progressed more than in the previous three decades. Speedo, the company I work with, invests heavily in scientific analysis and helps swimmers go faster with their suits. This, in turn, led to the correction of the Olympic rules and to an increase in the level of competitive swimming in general.

** — And besides, swimmers still shave every last hair off their bodies. Yes, Michael? **

- Exactly. Hair is the enemy of speed.

** — During training, do you spend time on general exercises in the pool or are you completely focused on practicing your technique? **

— When I’m in the water, I only swim—no water jogging or aquafitness.

** — And don’t you even indulge in water jazzercise (aqua aerobics. — Ed.)? **

“I guarantee you will never see Michael Phelps doing a Jazzercise in the water.”

“I don’t know about sex, but there is plenty of noise in the Olympic Village - you can hear absolutely everything: who is doing what and with whom.”

** — There are rumors that the Olympic Village is Sodom and Gomorrah. Hope Solo, goalkeeper of the US women's national soccer team, claims that at least three-quarters of athletes engage in promiscuity. Everyone has also heard about one hundred thousand condoms. **

“Personally, I don’t participate in anything like that.” During the Olympics, my main task is to establish healthy sleep and normal nutrition. The swimming tournament always takes place in the first week of the Olympics, and in addition we have morning swims. I don’t know what about sex, but there is plenty of noise in the Olympic Village - you can hear absolutely everything: who is doing what and with whom. In general, this is a mini-city where, for example, at any time of the day or night you can eat anything. There are billiards, ping-pong tables, and two football fields. Everyone is always going somewhere - in short, constant noise; I don’t even understand how other athletes manage without headphones. For me, both in Beijing and London, the most important thing was to decide on food and find places where I could get my usual diet - pasta, pizza, vegetables, energy drinks. Day after day I went to these places. You say, what an idiot - in front of him is all the endless variety of world cuisine, and he eats pizza. But I am a slave of habit; after all, if it was this diet that brought me to all the medals, why change it? I have a favorite Olympic hobby - walking around the village and guessing who plays what sport. For example, I walk and look - there are three tall Russian women standing, really two meters high, I looked up at them. Well, I’m starting to wonder - water polo players? volleyball players? In fact, everyone in the Olympic Village is like this: it is a city where only people with ideal genes live.

** - But you don’t take off your headphones in the pool either. **

“I’m always with them and always listen to music.” I have a perpetual shuffle on my iPod, but each tournament has its own song. I choose it and listen to it endlessly - to raise my tone. The anthem of the London Olympics was Lil Wayne's song I'm Me! When the tournament ends, I never listen to these songs again.

— What do you do with your free time, which you apparently have a lot of now?

— I travel a lot, I scuba dive. Just returned from the Maldives - swam with a breathing tube. I was lucky - I saw a whale shark, which allowed us to swim very close and did not mind at all.

— After the Olympics, you and Larisa Latynina starred in an advertising campaign for Louis Vuitton. What makes you more nervous - standing on a podium in a tight Speedo suit in front of millions of television viewers or posing for Annie Leibovitz, sitting on a corduroy sofa in a classic three-piece?

- This is all nonsense compared to the filming of Saturday Night Live. There I completely disgraced myself: I constantly confused the text, did not know where to stand. Horror, in short. Posing for Annie in this sense is a complete pleasure, like any job with a great professional. She films so quickly that you don’t have time to start getting nervous. Click-click, one-two - and you're done. I'm all about making the most of new experiences, and Vuitton's Core Values ​​campaign is a great chance to do that. Especially when you consider how many greats are involved in it - Bono, Muhammad Ali.

** - Now that the records are behind us, we can afford to eat something unhealthy, right?**

- That’s not the right word - I even eat cheeseburgers. But generally speaking, I have a sweet tooth. Lately I've been hooked on Sour Patch Kids melon-flavored candies - I stick them in the freezer to freeze them and then chew them. I also love green tea flavored ice cream. But you have to be careful - after Beijing I gained ten kilograms, which, given my gluttony, is not surprising. Regardless, melon candies and green tea ice cream are what you're guaranteed to find in my freezer.

Photo: MARK SELIGER/MANAGEMENT+ARTISTS, NORMAN JEAN ROY/TRUNKARCHIVE.COM/PHOTOSENSO

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Photo by Michael Phelps

The path to the Olympic podium

Michael Fred Phelps began his swimming lessons at the age of 7. The boy got into this sport by watching his two older sisters, who were involved in the local team. Michael's parents divorced when he was nine years old. The father married for the second time six years later, the children lived with their mother. Michael has maintained a very warm relationship with her to this day.

Mom is Michael's most devoted fan

By the age of ten, the young swimmer had already become a US record holder in his age group. At the same time, he began training under the wing of coach Bob Bowman. This is a rare case when an athlete did not change his mentor throughout his entire sports career; it was Bowman who helped him become a sports legend.

From the age of 10, Michael showed excellent results

Phelps first took part in the Olympic Games in 2000. The Sydney Olympics was the only one in which a swimmer did not make it to the podium. However, the fifteen-year-old athlete became the youngest American swimmer to qualify for the Olympics. He declared himself and then the treasury of his achievements was continuously replenished. Not even sixteen years old, Phelps was able to set a world record at the World Cup and became the youngest record holder. In subsequent championships, the swimmer continued to prove that he is the best in the world and repeatedly broke his own records.

“I was on my knees and sobbing”

The only 23-time Olympic champion, the absolute record holder for the number of awards and the holder of seven world records, American swimmer Michael Phelps almost committed suicide. The famous athlete and idol of millions has been suffering from depression for a long time, and by his own admission, at some point he completely lost his zest for life. Lenta.ru observed how a famous athlete overcame the distance from world fame to suicide.

From the outside, Phelps' life looks perfect. He won four Olympics in a row, broke the record for the most individual awards at the Games and signed multimillion-dollar advertising contracts with the world's largest companies. The swimmer is married to model Nicole Johnson, with whom he has two children.

However, Phelps admitted that he struggles with depression. “I suffered from anxious thoughts and didn’t know if I wanted to continue living. When I hit rock bottom, I decided to ask a specialist for help. In the end, this decision saved my life. But don’t bring the situation to a critical moment,” the swimmer said.

According to Michael, he could no longer justify the role of a macho man who could do anything. He noted that athletes are not expected to show weakness. “But this is fundamentally wrong. We are the same people and can ask for help,” the swimmer explained his position.

Michael's therapist, head of the psychiatric department at Mount Kisco Hospital Richard Catanzaro, said that professional athletes are prone to depression. He noted that athletes are under a lot of pressure. People don't understand what those who can afford everything are complaining about. Because of this, the psychological problems of athletes are intensifying.

2012 Olympic champion Evgeny Korotyshkin agreed with him. According to the swimmer, fans see imaginary signs of success that do not show an objective picture. “Michael has always been surrounded by the attention of the press, the public, coaches, and athletes. He was protected from everyday problems, and it took him time to accept himself,” he noted.

At the age of 11, Phelps was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder; he was stubborn in training and nervous when something didn’t work out for him. With age, Michael's symptoms did not go away: he could throw a bottle of water at the coach, showing dissatisfaction with his work.

The real problems started in 2014. The swimmer at times quit training, replacing them with parties and alcohol. Or he left for the casino without warning anyone. He was going to quit the sport altogether, but sponsorship contracts forced him to continue performing.

Michael Phelps

Photo: Gregorio Borgia/AP

In March of that year, Phelps was arrested in Baltimore for speeding and crossing a double solid line. It turned out that the alcohol content in the athlete’s blood exceeded the permissible limit by almost twice. “I just gave up. I thought: “Oh God, what awaits my son now?” - Michael's mother Debbie Phelps recalled.

The champion's coach, Bob Bowman, was afraid that the athlete would commit suicide. “I lived in constant fear. To be honest, I thought he was going to commit suicide. His drunk driving seemed to me the last straw,” said the specialist.

Phelps pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a year of probation with 18 months probation. USA Swimming suspended him for six months. The athlete was also suspended from participation in the World Aquatics Championships in Kazan in 2015.

The swimmer admits that the three months of the trial were the most difficult in his life. At one point, he locked himself in his home in Baltimore for four days and could not get out of bed. “It felt like I was being sucked into a swamp. Never in my career have I asked for help. But at that moment I was on my knees and sobbing,” he recalled.

Phelps called 911 and was taken to The Meadows clinic near Phoenix. According to the athlete, at first he felt wild fear. “I have never felt so bad. I needed attention, but then I could lock myself in a room and not communicate with anyone,” he admitted.

He hated himself and believed that he had failed his family, his coaches, and most of all himself. “Looking back, I realize that I lived in an artificial bubble for a long time,” Michael concluded.

Phelps completed a 45-day rehabilitation course. The swimmer returned to training, having achieved ideal shape. He competed at the 2020 US Championships, where he won three gold medals and had the fastest time.

Michael Phelps at the 2016 Olympics

Photo: Michael Dalder/Reuters

The athlete quit drinking alcohol and promised himself not to drink until the end of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in August next year. Phelps said that for many years he came to training with a hangover, but managed to stop. He worked hard again, but now began to devote more time to rest and recovery.

At the 2020 Olympic Games in Brazil, Phelps won five gold medals in the 4x100-meter and 4x200-meter freestyle relays, the 4x100-meter medley relay, and the 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter medley. With his victory in the 200-meter medley, he became the first swimmer to win a gold medal in the same distance at four Olympics.

After the Rio Games, Phelps ended his professional career. “I spent my whole life in the pool. Now I'm learning to live in the real world. Sometimes it's hard, but it's also useful. Still, life is more important than a gold medal,” the swimmer admitted.

In difficult times, his loved ones became his support. While Phelps was undergoing treatment, he was supported by his wife and mother. At the same time, he made peace with his father, with whom he had not communicated for 20 years. Now the swimmer talks about his psychological problems to children. “It is necessary to share experience. “I already told them that, despite all the difficulties, I would not change a second of my life,” said Michael.

In addition, Phelps began helping teenagers prone to depression. His foundation released the documentary Angst, which talks about bullying and mental illness. The swimmer hopes that with the help of the painting he will draw attention to the problem.

At the same time, Michael emphasizes that depression cannot be overcome. He will have to live with this disease forever. But now he is ready for this and is optimistic about the future.

World Championships

It's hard to count how many times this guy came out on top. He conquered world championships one after another, and time after time he was recognized in the country and the world as “swimmer of the year.” Michael Phelps has 37 world championship records in the long course (29 personal and 8 among relay participants), 2 in the short course relay. He conquered water courses mainly by swimming in the butterfly style and medley swimming.

Phelps often wears headphones to the start line.

• World Cup 2007, Melbourne: 7 gold medals, five world records;
• World Cup 2009, Rome: 5 medals of the highest standard, 1 silver, four world records;
• World Cup 2011, Shanghai: 4 gold awards, 2 silver, 1 bronze.

Naturally, being a world-class athlete, Michael Phelps has repeatedly proven in his own country that he has no equal. He became the US champion fifty times (in individual swims and relays), and was recognized as “swimmer of the year” in the States 9 times.

Awards

• 2003 – champion of the World Championships in Barcelona in competitions at a distance of 400 m and 200 m medley swimming, at a distance of 200 m butterfly style, in the 4x100 m medley relay
• 2004 - champion of the Olympic Games in Athens in competitions at a distance of 400 m and 200 m medley swimming, at a distance of 200 m and 100 m butterfly, in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay and the 4 × 100 m medley relay
• 2005 – champion of the World Championships in Montreal in the 200 m medley and freestyle, 4×100 m freestyle relay and 4×100 m medley relay
• 2007 – champion of the World Championships in Melbourne in competitions at a distance of 400 m and 200 m medley swimming, at a distance of 200 m and 100 m butterfly style, at a distance of 200 m medley swimming, in the 4 × 200 m and 4 × 100 m relay races
• 2008 - champion of the Olympic Games in Beijing in competitions at a distance of 400 m and 200 m medley swimming, at a distance of 200 m and 100 m butterfly, at a distance of 200 m freestyle, in the 4x200 m and 4x100 m freestyle relays and medley relay 4×100 m
• 2009 – champion of the World Championships in Rome in competitions at a distance of 200 m and 100 m butterfly, in the 4 × 100 m and 4 × 200 m freestyle relays and the 4 × 100 m medley relay
• 2011 – champion of the World Championships in Shanghai in the 200 m and 100 m butterfly, 4x200 m freestyle relay and 4x100 m medley relay
• 2012 - champion of the Olympic Games in London in competitions at a distance of 200 m medley swimming and at a distance of 100 m butterfly style, in the 4 × 200 m freestyle relay and the 4 × 100 m medley relay
• 2016 - champion of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in competitions at a distance of 200 m medley swimming and butterfly style, in the 4 × 200 m and 4 × 100 m freestyle relays and the 4 × 100 m medley relay

Olympic success

Next after the Australian Olympics was the Olympics in Greece. In Athens 2004, nineteen-year-old Michael Phelps stood on the Olympic podium for the first time. He became not just a six-time Olympic champion and a two-time bronze medalist, but repeated the record of gymnast from the USSR A. Dityatin for the number of awards won in one Olympics - eight.

A disproportionate body only plays into his hands

Most of all, sports fans remember Phelps for his performances at the Beijing Olympics. 2008: eight swims – eight victories! The phenomenal result elevated the swimmer to the rank of the most titled athletes in the history of the modern Olympics.

The triumphal procession, or rather the triumphal swim in the most prestigious competitions of Michael Phelps continued at the Olympics in London. In 2012, in England, his name again goes down in history: this time the athlete breaks the record of the Soviet gymnast L. Latynina and becomes the owner of 22 Olympic medals (the London swims added 4 gold and 2 silver).

Michael gets a round of applause. Of course, we cannot do without envious people. The press writes about him: “talent or mutant?” But Phelps was not involved in doping scandals, and therefore he wears his titles with his head held high. In 2012, at the peak of his sporting capabilities, the eminent athlete announced his retirement from big-time sports.

Phelps' name will forever go down in history.

The realization that he was capable of many more achievements still came to Michael. The 2020 Olympics in Rio only once again confirmed the swimmer’s unique athletic abilities: five top awards and one silver. He was already the youngest participant in the Olympics in 2004, and now he has become the oldest individual swimmer at the Olympics (31 years old). The swimmer's career was crowned with such resounding success. Phelps said: "It was a fantastic week, an amazing way to end my career."

The Rio Olympics were the last in Phelps’ career...But don’t make any guesses

Thus, the famous American swimmer entered not only the history of the modern Olympic Games, but also the ancient ones. According to the chronicles, the only one who won 12 Olympic gold medals in the individual championship was Leonid of Rhodes, while Phelps had 13.

Swimming

Under the guidance of a mentor, Michael rapidly climbed to the sporting Olympus. At age 15, Michael was selected to participate in the 2000 Olympics, becoming the youngest competitor in the history of the games. Then in Sydney, Australia, the swimmer managed to win only 5th place. But a year later, Michael surprised everyone by breaking the world record. In the United States, Phelps was announced as the 2001 swimmer of the year.

Michael Phelps

But this was only a glorious beginning. In 2003, after graduating from high school, the 17-year-old athlete set world records 5 times. But fame came to him the following year at the Olympics in Athens. Before Michael Phelps, only Russian gymnast Alexander Dityatin managed to win 8 medals, 6 of which were gold, in 1980. As for swimming, the American turned out to be a pioneer.

In the same 2004, Phelps moved with his constant coach Bob Bowman to Michigan. Here Michael entered the university, choosing the faculty of sports management.

Michael Phelps and Bob Bowman

In 2007, Michael went to Melbourne, where he participated in the World Championships. Here Phelps managed to win 7 gold medals and set 5 world records. Phelps is becoming a household name for swimmers around the world.

But the athlete himself saw in front of him those peaks that remained unconquered. Michael dreamed of breaking the record of compatriot Mark Spitz. He managed to win 7 gold medals at the Olympic Games held in Munich in 1972. Phelps trained hard. And at the Olympics in Beijing, China in 2008, the athlete managed to achieve what he wanted: 8 gold medals. Spitz's record, which had previously been called "eternal", was achieved and broken.

Michael Phelps at the Beijing Olympics

In 2009, the athlete was accused of doping. Paparazzi captured a swimmer with a marijuana pipe. And although the athlete tested clear, and smoking cannabis is not prohibited out of competition, USA Swimming significantly disqualified Phelps for three months for disappointing people who believe in him.

The sports biography of Michael Phelps is a series of real triumphs. During his career, the American champion managed to win 19 Olympic gold medals and break world records 32 times - a result that most swimmers in the world can only dream of.

Michael Phelps at the London Olympics

In 2012, after the London Olympics, 27-year-old Michael Phelps announced his decision to put an end to his sports biography. After participating in this Olympics, the swimmer surpassed all athletes in all sports in the number of Olympic awards. Michael Phelps received 22 medals at that time and broke the record set by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. This record stood for 48 years.

But in 2014, the athlete again took part in the games. Fans of the champion heard the same words about retirement in 2020: the swimmer again stated that the Olympics in Brazil would be his last. In Rio de Janeiro, Phelps once again lived up to the expectations of his fans. The athlete managed to break his own record for gold medals.

Michael Phelps at the Rio Olympics

Now Michael Phelps is a 23-time Olympic champion. He has 28 awards collected from all the Olympics in which he participated. At the same time, of the swimmer’s 23 gold medals, 13 belong to individual competitions, which allowed the athlete to break another record

. Moreover, this record remained unattainable for 2168 years: in 152 BC, the ancient Greek athlete Leonidas of Rhodes received 12 gold medals in the individual competition.

Relationship

A swimmer's relationship is not full of as many events as sports life. But this only works in Phelps' favor. Since 2010, he has been in a relationship with model Nicole Johnson, and in 2020 the couple rejoiced at the birth of their first child. The only thing that worries fans is why Michael has not yet legalized the relationship.

The Champion's son masters his father's element (Instagram)

By the way

• Michael has a disproportionate body: a long torso, short legs, an arm span greater than his own height. He also has foot size 47;
• nickname in the sports world - “Baltimore Bullet”;
• in childhood, the boy was diagnosed with hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder;
• Phelps' daily diet includes more than ten thousand kilocalories;
• in Michael’s collection of medals from the World Championships there is only one bronze;
• in his hometown of Baltimore, one of the streets was named after its outstanding native;
• seven-time winner of the title “best swimmer of the year”;
• the prestigious publication GQ gave Phelps 14th position in the top “50 people and phenomena that made the 21st century what it is”;
• advertises and swims in the LZR Racer swimsuit, manufactured by Speedo.