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Phelps' and Bob's Journey Begins
Phelps was only eleven years old when he began to swim for coach Bob Bowman at the North Baltimore Aquatic Center. The bond between these two took many years to build and it was not always easy. Bob doesn't just help Phelps get better at swimming, he helps him out in the real world as well. Although Bob can be hard on Micheal, they made progress one step at a time. -
Sydney Olympics
At his first Olympics, Phelps swam only one event, 200 butterfly. He was just 15 years old and placed 5th. This was only the beginning of his swimming career. -
Athens Olympics
With more training, effort, and confidence, Phelps returns to the Olympics, which were held in Athens in 2004. His training did pay off. He swam 8 events, and got 6 golds and 2 bronze. Although his accomplishments in Athens were tremendous, he still had goals he wanted to achieve. -
Perserverance
Although Phelps makes swimming look easy, he too has experienced obstacles and has made some mistakes. In the fall of 2005, he broke his hand while goofing off with his friends. He had to have surgery to fix the broken bone and couldn't swim for 6 weeks. In order, to stay in shape while not swimming, he worked hard out of the pool and learned that swimming is what he wants to do. -
Courage
On May 27 2007, Stevie Hansen passed away at the age of 12. Stevie was a young swimmer who idolized Phelps and was diagnosed with a brain tumor in Oct. 2002. Phelps became friends with Stevie and watched Stevie fight for his life for 5 years. Phelps was amazed by his courage and thought of him often during his Olympic swims. -
Determination
In the fall of 2007, Phelps once again faced a broken bone, this time his wrist. He slipped on the ice trying to get to his car one night. The next morning, he got to the emergency room terrified that his 2008 Olympics were in jeopardy. They decided on surgery to fix the bone which gave him the quickest recovery. Phelps was back in the water in 10 days. With strict training guidelines and very hard work, the 2008 Olympics were back in play. -
Beijing Olympics
Phelps next attended the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. He swam 8 events and got all gold medals. He currently holds the record for the most gold medals won in one Olympics. Before that, Mark Spitz held the record, winning 7 golds at the 1972 Munich Olympics. -
Rededication
After his record breaking Olympics in Beijing, 2008, Phelps found himself questioning what was next. He took time off from the pool which led to some trouble with the law. With a suspension from swimming and many people doubting him, he had a tough decision to make. On Sunday, March 1, 2009, Phelps woke up determined to rededicate himself to swimming. He was going to the London 2012 Olympics no matter what it took.
