Olympic Celebrity Michael Phelps
I haven’t had the chance to follow a lot of what has been going on at the Olympics but I do know there’s a big cheering crowd, composed of mostly ladies, for swimmer Michael Phelps. The 6′4″ athlete just won his 10th and 11th gold medals to date (and for his career so far). His latest win has earned him the honors of being the most medaled Olympic champ. In all its history? I think so.
The National Aquatic Center names him the Greatest Olympian of all time.
And the man is only 23 years old.
Outstanding, isn’t it?
A native of Baltimore Maryland, Phelps had quite a childhood with his parents divorcing and being diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. But he did take a love for swimming at a young age, mostly influenced by his two older sisters who are also swimmers. Swimming helped him channel his energy into something really very productive for him. He trained under the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and then later with the University of Michigan swim team (Club Wolverine). As he has rapidly improved the skill, by the age of 15, Phelps went on to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics, where he was one of the youngest competitors. He didn’t win any medals for this though, but continued with his training and broke world records in swimming.
Michael Phelps intends to return to Baltimore after the Olympics and will join his former coaches there, saying this during an interview, “I’m not going to swim for anybody else. I think we can both help the North Baltimore Athletic Club go further. I’m definitely going to be in Baltimore.”
