With the conclusion of the Paris Olympics 2024, some world records have been broken while some were upheld. Perhaps one Olympian in the history of the games stands out the most – Michael Phelps. Phelps has broken the greatest number of records, and during every Olympic games, there is speculation on whether new entrants to swimming can beat his records.
To this day, Michael Phelps holds the title of the most decorated Olympian and no one in the latest Olympics could beat his record. But how did Phelps become so successful?
First Steps
Phelps is originally from Baltimore, Maryland. He started swimming when he was 7 years old. Interestingly, he achieved his first major recognition – a national record in his age group – by the time he was 10.
He then started training with Bob Bowman, a renowned coach who has bolstered Phelp’s nature-given abilities. As one record followed the other, in 2018 Phelps got 11 records in different age categories.
Olympics
Phelps was only 15 when he qualified for his first Olympic games in 2000. He did not win a medal, but he managed to score in the top-5. At the world championships just a year later, Phelps broke the world record in the 200-meter butterfly-style run. And amazingly, just another year later, he broke his world record during world championships in Japan.
Phelps won his first medal during the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, and the last one during the Olympics in Rio in 2016. In Rio, he got his 28th golden medal, making him officially the most decorated Olympian of all time.
During the 2008 Olympics, Phelps faced questions from the media on alleged performance-enhancing drug use. There were suspicions that his performance was too good to be achieved naturally. As a response to these allegations, Phelps signed up for Project Believe, an initiative that tests athletes way more than typical championship rules require, to promote drug-free, fair competition.
Phelps has since passed all drug tests and proved to the audience that his results, although extraordinary, were all natural. During the 2024 Olympics, he once again voiced his support for stricter performance-enhancing drug control, highlighting the importance of fairness in sports.
As of today, Phelps holds 39 world records – 29 of them individual. This is by far the most record any swimmer has ever owned. But there is some controversy around this number – recently, there have been reports that one swimmer, Johnny Weissmuller, has broken more than 60 records.
A Swimmer and a Gambler
One of the reasons Phelps got into swimming, as he says, was that swimming keeps your attention in mind, but swimming is not the only thing that does that for Phelps. He is also an avid fan of online gambling, including poker. “It forces you to be in the moment” – he shared during one of his interviews.
Online gambling is quite popular, as often there are online casino bonus offerings available, which let players maximize their winnings and take advantage of various promotions. For instance, Ignition offers a 200% match bonus of up to $2,000 to beginner players who deposit on the platform for the first time – with a minimum deposit threshold of $20. There are also additional promotions, such as loyalty programs and friend referral bonuses, which let players enjoy more monetary incentives.
With such platforms incentivizing gambling through substantial bonuses, there are a lot of everyday people, as well as celebrities practicing this hobby, Phelps included. Celebrities often organize lavish high-stakes poker challenges and Phelps is a frequent participant.
During his interviews, Phelps shared that gambling for him is as much a hobby as it is a social experience – it often feels like getting together with some friends from high school times. It’s the ability to play with different cards and different games that keeps this hobby interesting.
When asked who Phelps would be particularly interested in playing with, he named Phil Ivey, who is a famous American professional poker player.
Personal Life
According to his coach, Phelps was always a solitary man. For most of his career as a swimmer, he was so focused on sports that he left little time for his personal life and finding a partner. When he did marry, however, he did so in secret.
Phelps married Nicole Johnson, who became Miss California. Her and Phelp’s romantic life wasn’t issue-free, as the couple separated in 2008 before getting back together and marrying. Phelps and Johnson have four children together.
With his family, Phelps got into other hobbies like golf. He competed in several golf tournaments, both amateur and professional, and has even considered becoming a professional golf player after retiring from swimming.
In 2018, Phelps shared with the media that he has ADHD. In doing so he joined a long list of celebrities who decided to reveal their neural differences, to help fight the stigma surrounding ADHD.
Philanthropy
Michael Phelps started his charitable work right after the 2008 Olympics when he used his $1 million to open the Michael Phelps Foundation. The foundation focuses on promoting a healthy lifestyle broadly and specifically popularizing swimming as a sport.
In 2010, he started a US-wide program aimed at promoting swimming in school children. This program also focused on the importance of a healthy lifestyle and setting and achieving goals. Today his foundation mainly works on two major programs, Level Field Fund-Swimming and Caps-for-a-Cause.
