Michael Phelps – Olympic Swimming Legend

Michael Phelps has done it in the 2012 London Summer Olympics!  He has become the “The Greatest Olympic Athlete of All Time” according to FINA (the International Swimming Federation which oversees several swimming competitions).

During the 2012 London Summer Olympic games, Phelps competed and won 4 Gold & 2 Silver Medals. By doing this, Phelps now possesses a stunning 22 career medals, including 18 Golds, thus making Phelps the most decorated Olympian ever.

Earlier in his Olympic career, Phelps was a swimming machine – in Athens in 2004 he won in nearly all his events, with 6 Gold medals and 2 Bronze medals, and in Bejing in 2008, he won an astounding 8 Gold medals.

In May of this year, Phelps was interviewed on 60 Minutes and he stated he planned to retire after the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

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Some personal stats about Michael Phelps

• Age: 27
• Born: June 30, 1985, in Baltimore, Maryland
• Height: 6’4′
• Weight: 194 lbs
• Shoe size: reportedly size 14 feet
• College: Attended University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
• Occupation: Professional Swimmer
• Became the youngest swimming world-record holder ever at age 15
• Set five world records in one international meet
• Has a street named for him in Baltimore: Michael Phelps Way
• Established the Michael Phelps Foundation in 2008. The nonprofit organization
  promotes swimming and helps kids build healthy and active lives through the sport.
• He stands 6-4 with a wingspan of nearly 80 inches. By all accounts, his frame is perfect for a swimmer.
• Michael understands how to use his body to its full advantage. His hands and feet are like paddles in the water, and he has an incredibly powerful kick. The butterfly is his signature stroke, but he’s shown the ability to dominate in any event.