- He was the youngest male Olympian since 1932 (he was only 15 when he made it in the 2000 Olympics).
- He has the prototypical swimmer body, he has an extremely long torso; that of a 6 foot 8 person. Whereas his legs are shorter, only that of a 6 foot person. This helps him keep his head above water in his signature event, the 100M butterfly.
- First person under one minute and 55 seconds in 200m fly with world record swim.
- His sister, Whitney Phelps, was a member of the 1995 World Championship team.
- Became the youngest male swimmer ever to set a world record at the age of 15 years and nine months, breaking the record in the 200m butterfly.
- Won 8 medals (8 Gold) in Swimming at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. He became the first athlete in to win 8 gold medals at a single Olympics.
- Has publicly discussed, on numerous occasions, including in joint interviews with his wife, that he suffers from recurring bouts of depression, and he receives treatment as needed. This is one of the reasons why he is the spokesperson for Talkspace online counseling company.
- His feet have been referred to as "fins" by the media, because he wears a size 14 shoe. His wing span measures in at 6 foot 7 inches.
- Won 28 Olympic Games medals (23 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze).
- Siblings: 2 sisters, Whitney Phelps (born in 1978) and Hilary Phelps (born in 1980).
- Won 8 medals (6 Gold, 2 Bronze) in Swimming at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.
- Has double-jointed knees and elbows, which plays a role in his famous dolphin-like kick in the water.
- Estimated net worth is $75 million.
- HAD a street named after him in his hometown Towson, Maryland.
- Five-time Olympian (2000, 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016).
- He is of English, as well as Irish, German, Scottish, and Welsh, ancestry.
- Good friends with fellow U.S. swimmer Ryan Lochte.
- Father, with wife Nicole Phelps, of two sons Boomer Robert Phelps, born May 5, 2016 and Beckett Richard Phelps, born February 12, 2018.
- Signed sponsorship and endorsement deals with Speedo, Argent Mortgage, AT&T, Omega, Powerbar, Under Armour, Visa, and Wheaties, among others.
- Attended the University of Michigan from 2004 to 2008, but did not pursue a degree.
- "Phelps Flys", winning 8 medals at the 2004 Olympics, was ranked #17 in TV Guide's list of the "25 Most Awesome Sports Moments (of the last 15 years)". [17 July 2005 issue]
- Winner of the "Sports - Choice Athlete (male)" category at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards.
- Graduated from Towson High School in 2003.
- Named the Men's World Swimmer of the Year 8 times (2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, and 2016) and Men's American Swimmer of the Year 11 times (2001,2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2015, and 2016) by Swimming World Magazine.
- Won 33 World Championship Long-Course (LC) medals (26 Gold, 6 Silver, 1 Bronze), and 1 World Championship Short-Course (SC) medal (1 Gold).
- Appeared in an infomercial hosted by Tracy Gallagher and Duane Sider for the "Rosetta Stone" language learning software. (2008)
- Kris Humphries was second in the nation to Phelps in four age 10 and under boys swim events.
- Won 6 medals (5 Gold, 1 Silver) in Swimming at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.
- Named the Men's Swimmer of the Year 2 times (2012 and 2016) by the International Swimming Federation (FINA).
- Won 6 medals (4 Gold, 2 Silver) in Swimming at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. His total of 22 Olympic medals broke the previous record of 18 held by the Soviet Larisa Latynina.
- Won 18 Golden Goggle Awards presented by USA Swimming: Male Athlete of the Year 7 times (2004, 2007, 2008, 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2016); Relay Performance of the Year 5 times (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2016); and Male Race of the Year 6 times (2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2016).
- Parents: Fred and Debbie Phelps (divorced).
- Grew up in the Rodgers Forge section of Towson, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore.
- Won the Silver Medal 100 Butter Fly race in a three way tie at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics 2016.
- Signed endorsement deals with Under Armour, Visa Wheaties, among others.
- 3rd son is named Maverick.
- Was photographed by a friend smoking marijuana at a party (February 2009).
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