Michael Phelps

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Michael Phelps at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games

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Michael Phelps

American swimmer

Also known as: Michael Fred Phelps II

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Mar 9, 2024 • Article History

Michael Phelps

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Category: Arts & Culture

In full:: Michael Fred Phelps II

Born:: June 30, 1985, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S. (age 38)

Awards And Honors:: Olympic Games

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Michael Phelps (born June 30, 1985, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.) American swimmer, who was the most-decorated athlete in Olympic history with 28 medals, which included a record 23 gold. At the 2008 Games in Beijing, he became the first athlete to win eight gold medals at a single Olympics. Phelps was raised in a family of swimmers and joined the prestigious North Baltimore Aquatic Club at age seven. He finished fifth in the 200-metre butterfly at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. At the 2001 U.S. spring nationals, he became at age 15 the youngest world-record holder in men’s swimming when ...(100 of 904 words)

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