2. He was born in Baltimore Maryland on 6/30/85. He began swimming when he was 7 years old. His full name is Michael Fred Phelps II.

3. Michael’s sister Hilary began swimming the year Michael was born. He mostly watched his sister practice and eventually started swimming himself. When he was even at the age of seven Michael wouldn’t even put his face in the water.

4. He was the youngest male that competed in the Olympics since 1932. When he was 15 years old he placed 5 th in the 200-meter at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

5. Michael Phelps also became the first swimmer to ever break 5 individual world records at one meet. This meet was in 2003 at the World Championships in Barcelona.

6. He placed in the 2004 Olympics by receiving 8 medals. There he received six gold medals and two bronze medals. In Beijing 2008, he recived 8 gold medals, which made him the best Olympic swimmer ever.

7. Michael is 6-4 ft. tall and has a wingspan of almost 80 inches. This puts him with having a great sized body for a swimmer. He wighs 195 lbs.

8. One of the great things he is known for is his endurance. He also doesn’t get nervous before a race but shows a lot of passion when he is on the starting block. Micahel Phelps listens to hip hop and rap to help him get focused before a race.

9. Sources http://www.answers.com/topic/michael-phelps http://www.mapsofworld.com/olympics/great- olympians/aquatics/michael-phelps.html http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Phelps/Phelps_bio. html

10. Simon Felding Tallinn German Gymnasium