Michael Phelps takes six gold medals

Michael Phelps made it six gold medals in six races, each in world record time, by taking the 200-metre individual medley Friday at the Beijing Olympics.
If he wins either of his last two races, he'll join Spitz as the only Olympians to win seven golds at one Summer Games and cash a US$1-million bonus from his sponsor.

Should he win both, Phelps will stand alone as the greatest Olympic champ for both a single Games and for his career. This was his 12th gold overall, pulling him farther from Spitz and three others with nine. At only 23, he could end up doubling the longstanding career mark at London in 2012. Who would bet against him after this week?


Phelps sexy tattoo

Phelps dominated right from the start of the 200-metre individual medley and won in one minute 54.23 seconds. He knocked off his own mark of 1:54.80 set at last month's U.S. trials, his sixth world record of the Games.

Phelps returned right after the medal ceremony for the 100 butterfly semifinal, where he qualified second-fastest and set himself to tie Spitz's total in the final on Saturday. He could break the record if the heavily favoured U.S. wins the 4x100-metre medley relay on Sunday.
"There wasn't much time," Phelps said, "but I think there's going to be a lot of time for me to rest over the next 18 hours or so, and I'll be able to be ready for tomorrow morning's 100."

UPDATE:16 Aug 2008
Michael Phelps takes seven gold medals

Michael Phelps stunned even himself with a desperate last lunge to grasp a record-equalling seventh Olympic gold medal in Beijing, ahead of Saturday's showpiece, the athletics' men's 100 metres final.
Phelps, his quest for Olympic immortality seeming derailed when seventh at the turn, stormed home in the 100m butterfly to claim a finger-tip victory and draw level with fellow US pool legend Mark Spitz's record of seven golds at one Games set 36 years ago.

Who is Phelps'girl?

American swimmer Michael Phelps , who has won seven golds in Beijing , became the most decorated athlete in Olympic history and received lots of love from female fans. But who is Phelps'girl?



Media reporters so far have pinpointed two girls as swimming prodigy Phelps' girlfriend. The first is Phelps' hot teammate Amanda Beard and the second is charming British model Lily Donaldson.
Together with Phelps, swimmer Amanda Beard also represented U.S. participating in the Olympic Games held in Beijing, though so far this hot swimmer pocketed no gold.



21-year-old Lily Donaldson is even hotter and ranked as one of the top 8 models in the fashion world. Lily Donaldson even replaced British supermodel Kate Moss as the "younger face" speaking for Burberry in 2007.


Update: 17 Aug 2008
Phelps Creates a World Record

Michael Phelps after winning his eighth gold medal in Beijing.


What Phelps needed to win medals.

Consuming a staggering 12,000 calories a day is the secret behind swimming sensation Michael Phelps' phenomenal success at the Beijing Olympics.
This is a huge calorie intake because the average man of the same age needs to ingest about 2,000 calories a day.
The U.S. swimmer attributed his title of the greatest Olympian of all time to his appetite when the media asked him what he needed to win medals.



"Eat, sleep and swim. That's all I can do. Get some calories into my system and try to recover the best I can," the New York Post quoted him as having told NBC.
The newspaper has revealed that Phelps eats a breakfast of three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions, and mayonnaise.
He follows that up with two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelette, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.

The report further states that Phelps' lunch comprises a pound of enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with mayo on white bread, capping off the meal by chugging about 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.
Phelps' dinner includes carbohydrate-rich foods—such as a pound of pasta and an entire pizza—which give him plenty of energy for his five-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week regimen.
He washes all that down with another 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.
Phelps breaks Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals won at the 1972 Munich Games.

UPDATE: 3 Dec 2008

Phelps reportedly brought his Las Vegas cocktail waitress girlfriend, Caroline Pal back to Baltimore to spend Thanksgiving with his family.

UPDATE: 10 JAN 2009

MICHAEL Phelps continued his victory lap by scoring another record sponsorship deal. According to the Daily News, Phelps picked up a $1 million deal from Mazda in China, which is "the largest single sponsorship for a Western celebrity in Chinese history."
"The people of China have been very supportive of me and my efforts to help promote swimming," Phelps said. "I am excited to begin 2009 with my first return trip to Beijing since the Games."
Phelps has been pulling in endorsement deals across the board since becoming the most decorate Olympian ever in Beijing and breaking Mark Spitz' record of seven gold medals with a haul of eight at the Games. According to the article, Phelps is now "worth as much as $50 million."

UPDATE: 2 FEB 2009
An apology from record-breaking Olympic champion Michael Phelps

The International Olympic Committee said an apology from record-breaking Olympic champion Michael Phelps, who was photographed inhaling from a pipe used for smoking marijuana, was proof enough of his sincerity.
Britain’s News of the World newspaper ran a picture of swimmer Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at last year’s Beijing Olympics, with the glass pipe, saying it was taken at a student party at the University of South Carolina in Columbia last November.





The newspaper did not say Phelps was smoking marijuana but said the glass pipe the swimmer was photographed with was generally used to smoke the drug.
‘Michael Phelps is a great Olympic champion. He apologised for his inappropriate behaviour,’ IOC spokeswoman Emmanuelle Moreau said on Monday.
‘We have no reason to doubt his sincerity and his commitment to continue to act as a role model.’

Phelps, who has won more Olympic gold medals than anyone else after his eight in Beijing and has since signed several endorsement deals worth millions of dollars, apologised saying his behaviour was regrettable.
‘I engaged in behaviour which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgement,’ Phelps said in a statement, adding it would not happen again.
US officials said the news was disappointing but stressed that smoking marijuana out of competition was not an anti-doping matter at this point.

More Update:

Phelps banned for three months

USA Swimming have suspended Michael Phelps for three months following the publication of a picture apparently showing the multi-Olympic champion using illegal drugs.
The 23-year-old, who won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics last year, issued a public apology after a British tabloid published a photo of him inhaling from the type of glass pipe used to smoke cannabis.
Although he stopped short of admitting to using cannabis, Phelps earlier this week issued a statement apologising for his “regrettable” behaviour and for having “demonstrated bad judgment”.
The USA swimming statement read: “USA Swimming has reprimanded Michael Phelps under its Code of Conduct by withdrawing financial support and the eligibility to compete for a period of three months effective today, February 5, 2009.