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Quest for eight, Part II
In Beijing, Michael Phelps will have the chance to at least match the record eight medals (six gold, two bronze) that he won in Athens. Phelps fell one gold short of matching Mark Spitz's record seven, won in 1972, but still matched the single-games total record with eight. That missing gold could come in the 200m freestyle, in which Phelps took bronze in Athens. This time, he enters the 200m as the favorite, having broken Ian Thorpe's world record at the 2007 World Championships in Melbourne. Phelps also holds the world record in three other individual events: 200m fly, 200m IM and 400m IM.
Golden guy
Phelps won seven gold medals (200m free, 100m fly, 200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM, 4x100m free and 4x200m free) and set five world records (200m free, 200m fly, 200m IM, 400m IM and 4x200m free) in one of the most dominant swimming performances ever at the 2007 Worlds. All of the individual event world records that Phelps broke were his own, except for the 200m freestyle, where he shattered Ian Thorpe's mark from 2001. Phelps shaved .2 of a second off Thorpe's time and won the race by almost 2.5 seconds.
Stuck at seven
Phelps did not get the chance to race for an eighth gold at Worlds in the final event, the 4x100m medley relay, because the U.S. team was disqualified in the preliminaries, in which he did not swim. Teammate Ian Crocker left the blocks .01 of a second too soon for his leg, and the false start cost the U.S. a spot in the final. It was the first time the U.S. did not swim in a relay final in the history of world championships.
Physical advantage
At first glance, Phelps might look like a typical swimmer. But several of his physical characteristics seem genetically tailored for swimming. His 6-foot-7-inch wingspan is three inches longer than his height, providing him with unusual reach. His torso is long compared to his legs, enabling him to ride high on the water. And his flexible ankles, combined with size-14 feet, allow for a powerful kick. Add to that more than a decade of high-intensity training, and you get one of the fastest swimmers in history.
On his own
After Athens, Phelps enrolled as a student at Michigan, moving away from home for the first time. During his first year living alone, he had to make some adjustments and learn a few quick lessons. Phelps once filled up his dishwasher with hand soap and came home to find his floor covered in suds. He also had trouble eating his first bowl of cereal after he realized he hadn't purchased any bowls, so he ate the cereal with milk out of a Gatorade bottle. Phelps is unable to compete for Michigan because of his professional status, but he works as a volunteer assistant with University of Michigan swim team.
To the Wolverines
At Michigan's Club Wolverine, Phelps trains with numerous other elite swimmers: Olympians Erik Vendt, Peter Vanderkaay and Kaitlin Sandeno, as well as hopefuls Davis Tarwater and Chris Dejong. Under Bob Bowman, who has been Phelps' coach since he was 12 years old, the atmosphere is intense and the training tough. Bowman had a countdown clock installed in the pool to mark the days until Beijing, as a daily reminder of the swimmers' ultimate goal.
'Bullet' heading home
Bowman announced in April 2008 that he was leaving Michigan and returning to Baltimore after Beijing to serve as CEO of North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Phelps, who is nicknamed the "Baltimore Bullet," will return home as well after four years in Ann Arbor. Phelps and Bowman met at NBAC, which is also where Katie Hoff trains.
Early bloomer
Phelps made his Olympic debut in Sydney at age 15, when he qualified for the 200m fly by finishing second at U.S. Trials -- a result he wasn't exactly expecting. "At first I couldn't really believe it. I thought I saw it and had to take my goggles off to really see," Phelps said of the race. He was the youngest man on the U.S. swim team, but despite his age and lack of international experience, he made the final in Sydney and finished fifth. Five months after that race, Phelps became the sport's youngest male world-record holder when he claimed the 200m fly mark.
Sibling stimulus
Phelps appeared at the 1996 Olympic Trials as a 10-year-old, not to swim but to support his sister, Whitney. When she finished sixth in the 200m butterfly final and missed making the team, the family cried in the stands. "It left a scar on our family," Michael says. Whitney's career was cut short by four herniated discs, but Michael says he lives by her example. From the time he was little, he remembers how he would hear her door shut and the car start before dawn as she made her way to practice. Phelps has another sister, Hillary, who swam for the University of Richmond.
'Limitless potential'
Following his sisters to the pool, Phelps began swimming at age 7 when he joined North Baltimore Aquatic Club. He met Bowman four years later, and Bowman immediately recognized his ability. "There was nothing holding him back, at that time or now," Bowman said. "I felt that when I saw him as a younger swimmer, that he had limitless potential." Bowman even met with Phelps' parents when he was 12, explaining that he could potentially make the Olympics in 2000 and even set 2004 and 2008 as targets.
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