✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: whatAinfo

Celebrities

Michael Phelps Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 12, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth30 June 1985

Age37 (as of 2022)

BirthplaceBaltimore, Maryland, USA

ProfessionAmerican Swimmer

NationalityAmerican

Marital statusMarried

SpouseNicole Johnson (m 2016)

FamilyMother: Deborah Phelps; Father: Michael Fred Phelps; Siblings: Shane Lee, Grant Lee, Whitney, Hilary

Michael Phelps Biography

Michael Fred Phelps II is an American swimmer widely regarded as the most decorated Olympian in history. Born in Baltimore in 1985, Phelps rose from early,

Early life and background

Michael Fred Phelps II was born on June 30, 1985, in Baltimore, Maryland. He began formal swim lessons at age seven and quickly developed a deep commitment to the sport. By age ten he was already breaking national age-group records, and his rapid progress led him to train under coach Bob Bowman.

Phelps qualified for his first Olympic Games at age 15, making him the youngest American male swimmer to reach the Olympics in nearly seven decades. Although he did not medal at the 2000 Games, he used the experience to fuel further development and commitment to his swimming career.

Career

Phelps made his Olympic breakthrough at the 2004 Athens Games, where he collected eight medals, including six golds. That performance marked him as a dominant force in the pool and set the stage for an even more historic run at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

At Beijing in 2008 Phelps won eight gold medals, surpassing Mark Spitz’s long-standing record of seven golds at a single Games. The achievement came despite a right-wrist fracture two years earlier that had prompted medical doubts about his ability to return to full speed. Phelps responded by intensifying his training and adapting his technique, including focusing more on his kick to compensate while recovering.

Across four Olympic appearances — 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2016 — Phelps amassed a total of 28 Olympic medals: 23 gold, 3 silver, and 2 bronze. At the 2012 London Olympics he added four golds and two silvers, and after briefly retiring he returned to competition and won five gold medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Following Rio, Phelps retired from competitive swimming.

Phelps’s broader medal haul includes dozens of international and national honors accrued over a long competitive career. He was known for extraordinary training volumes, famously consuming far more calories during high-intensity training periods than typical daily intakes, a detail often used to illustrate the physical demands of elite swimming.

Public profile

Nicknamed the "Flying Fish," "The Baltimore," and "MP," Phelps became a global sporting icon through his Olympic success. His listed height and weight during his competitive career were approximately 193 cm (6 ft 4 in) and 88 kg (194 lbs). He trained and competed as an American national and spent his early schooling years in the Towson, Maryland area.

Family and personal details

Phelps’s parents are Deborah and Michael Fred Phelps. He has siblings named Shane Lee and Grant Lee, and sisters Whitney and Hilary. He married Nicole Johnson in 2016.

Latest updates

After returning from retirement in 2014, Phelps’s final Olympic campaign at Rio 2016 produced five gold medals and capped a unique Olympic record: 23 gold medals spanning four Games. He retired from competitive swimming following the 2016 Olympics.

Legacy

Phelps’s career is defined by unprecedented Olympic success and a long list of international medals. His performances, training discipline, and ability to rebound from injury contributed to a reputation as the most successful Olympian of all time in terms of medal count. His achievements reshaped public expectations about what is possible in the sport of swimming.
◈

Recent Work

2016 Rio Olympics

Competed and won five gold medals, then retired from competitive swimming.

2016
✦

Career Highlights

  1. Youngest American male swimmer to qualify for the Olympics in decades (2000, age 15)
  2. Eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
  3. Total of 28 Olympic medals (23 gold, 3 silver, 2 bronze) across 2004–2016
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Michael Phelps born?

30 June 1985

What is Michael Phelps known for?

American Swimmer

What is Michael Phelps’s marital status?

Married

Who is Michael Phelps married to?

Nicole Johnson (m 2016)