Michael Phelps was born June 30, 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland and first started swimming at the age of five. At first, Phelps was scared to even put his face in the water but by the age of seven, he was swimming competitively. When he was 11, Michael Phelps met his long-time swimming coach, Bob Bowman, who knew right away that Phelps had what it took to be an exceptional athlete.

Michael Phelps made history by qualifying for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, when he was just 15 years old. By qualifying for the 2000 Olympics, Michael Phelps became the youngest member of the US Olympic team since 1932. Phelps finished fifth in the 200 meter butterfly and shattered the 15-16 National Age Group record. Five months after the Olympics, Phelps became the youngest world record holder in history by setting a new record in the 200 meter butterfly at the World Championships in Japan.

At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, Michael Phelps won eight medals - including six golds! If Phelps had won seven gold medals, he would have tied the record of Mark Spitz, and recieved a cool one-million dollars from his sponsor, Speedo. At the 2003 World Swimming Championships in Barcelona, Spain, Michael Phelps won five gold medals and set five world records. At the 2004 Olympics, Phelps competed in the 100m fly, 200m freestyle, 200m fly, 200m Individual Medley, the 400 IM and three US relay teams.

--Kidzworld.com