The Most Decorated Olympic Medalist

8/18/2019 The Most Decorated Olympic Medalist

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The Most Decorated Olympic Medalist: Michael Phelps

Dong Han (Albert) Kim

INAG 110


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The Most Decorated Olympic Medalist: Michael Phelps 2

One-hundredth of a second, approximately the amount of time it takes lightning to strike the

ground (National Lightning Safety Institute, 2016). That’s how much time it took Michael

Phelps to match Mark Spitz’s record for the most gold medals (seven) in a single Olympic

Games. In less than 24 hours, he broke that record which had stood since 1972 (Hadhazy, 2008).Four years later in London, he won six more medals, making him the most decorated athlete of

the Games having a total of 22 medals, 18 of which are gold (Olympics.org). Even after his

retirement in 2012, he returned to competitive swimming in May 2014 to win multiple national

and international gold medals. Many people question what makes him so good. Is it his abnormal

body or is it his rigorous training and diet? Regardless of the answer, Michael Phelps remains as

one of the best swimmers to walk the planet; currently holding the record for the most Olympic

medals as well as having the most world records in swimming

1. How Michael Phelps started swimming

a. Both of his older sisters, Whitney and Hilary, swam

i. Whitney tried out for the US Olympic team in 1996 but did not make it

due to injuries

b. Diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) at the age of 9

i. His mother wanted him to channel his energy into swimming

(Schneiderman, 2016)

c. Joined North Baltimore Athletic Club

i. Met his life long coach Bob Bowman (Schneiderman)

2. Body built for swimming/perfect body for speed and endurance (Adams, 2015)

a. Height: six foot four

b. Arm/Wing Span: six foot seven

i. Arm/Wing Span is significantly longer than heightc. Extra long torso that is also hydrodynamic (lower drag)

i. Has torso of a six foot eight person: gives extra reach

ii. Torso is long, thin and triangle-shaped

d. Short legs that is hydrodynamic

i. Legs of a six foot person that enables more power

e. Large hands: grabs/pulls more water

f. Large feet: size fourteen

i. Act like flippers

g. Double jointed: arms, legs, feet

i. Allows greater range of motion

h. Lung capacity is twice as large as the average person3. Workout & Diet

a. Diet: Approximately 12,000 calories (Theodorou, 2011)

i. Typical male takes in 2,500 calories

ii. Typical breakfast

1. Three friend-egg sandwiches with egg sandwiches with cheese,

lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions, and mayonnaise


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2. Two cups of coffee then five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three

slices of French toast and three chocolate-chip pancakes

iii. Typical Lunch

1. Pound of pasta

2. Two large ham and cheese sandwiches on white bread with mayo

3. About 1,000 calories worth of energy drinksiv. Typical Dinner

1. Pound of pasta

2. Full pizza

3. About 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks

b. Workout (Allen)

i. Swims minimum 80,000 meters (50 miles) a week

1. Twice a day at about five to six hours a day, six days a week

ii. Lifts weights three times a week, every other day

4. Achievements in swimming

a. Youngest swimmer to compete in Olympics in 68 years (Ashworth, 2011)

i. Fifteen years old at the 2000 Sydney Olympics

ii. Did not win a medal but finished fifth in the 200 m butterfly

b. Youngest male to set a swimming world record (Ashworth)

i. Fifteen years old at the 2001 World Championship Trials

ii. Later that year became world champion

c. 2004 Athens Olympics: six gold and two bronze

i. Second best Olympic performance

1. Behind Mark Spitz: seven gold medals in 1972

d. 2008 Beijing Olympics: eight gold

i. Broke Mark Spitz record of seven gold medals

ii. Seven world records and one Olympic recordiii. Seventh gold medal

1. Won by a hundred of a second

2. Tied Mark Spitz record

iv. “Records are always made to be broken no matter what they are ...

Anybody can do anything that they set their mind to.” (Theodorou, 2008)

e. 2012 London Olympics: four gold and two silver

i. Record for most appearances on the US Swimming team

ii. Most successful swimmer for the third Olympics in a row

iii. Became the most decorated Olympian

iv. Retirement

f. Coming out of retirementi. Won three titles in 2015 Winter Nationals bringing his career total to 62

national titles

ii. Preparing for the 2016 Rios Olympics

iii. Assistant coach at Arizona State University after Rios

Regardless of his eighteen Olympic gold medals, Michael Phelps claims that he never entered an

Olympics one hundred percent prepared to swim his best (Walker). With only a few more


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months till the Rio Games, Phelps believes that he will change that as he gets ready for his last

Olympic Games. So when summer arrives and the Games begin, be prepared for Phelps to

continue to break more records.

References

Adams, C. (2015, June 12). How Michael Phelps' Body Proportions Make Him a Strong

Swimmer. Retrieved March 08, 2016, from

http://ergonomics.about.com/od/swimming/f/phelps_great.htm

Allen, R. (2011, December 11). Michael Phelps Workout and Diet | Muscle Prodigy. Retrieved

March 08, 2016, from http://www.muscleprodigy.com/michael-phelps-workout-and-diet/

Ashworth, A. (n.d.). Michael Phelps Bio - SwimSwam. Retrieved March 08, 2016, from

https://swimswam.com/bio/michael-phelps/

Hadhazy, A. (2008, August 18). What makes Michael Phelps so good? Retrieved March 08,

2016, from http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-makes-michael-phelps-so-

good/

National Lightning Safety Institute. (2016, March 6). The Science of Thunder. Retrieved March

08, 2016, from http://www.lightningsafety.com/nlsi_info/thunder2.html

Olympics.org. (n.d.). Michael PHELPS. Retrieved March 08, 2016, fromhttp://www.olympic.org/michael-phelps

Schneiderman, M. (2016, February 16). Debbie Phelps. Retrieved March 08, 2016, from

http://www.everydayhealth.com/adhd/living-with-

adhd/mylife/debbie_phelps/landing.aspx

Theodorou, C. (2008, August 18). Phelps wins historic eighth gold medal. Retrieved March 08,

2016, from http://edition.cnn.com/2008/SPORT/08/17/phelps.history.eight.golds/

Walker, C. (2016, March 8). Michael Phelps says he'll be more prepared for Rio Olympics than

any previous Games. Retrieved March 08, 2016, from

http://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/bs-sp-under-armour-michael-phelps-20160308-

story.html

http://www.olympic.org/michael-phelpshttp://www.olympic.org/michael-phelps


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The Most Decorated Olympic Medalist