Competitions are a way for every athlete to test themselves, their abilities, the effects of their training and preparation. Almost every athlete prepares 100% of his or her abilities, through a weight-loss diet and training, in order to perform at their best at a given competition. This athlete gave more than 200% at every competition to make history. I am talking about swimmer Michael Phelps, who has dominated national, world and even Olympic competitions.
Hyperactive kid
Michael Phelps is an American swimmer, multiple world record holder, as well as Olympic and world champion in the short course pool. His list of victories and achievements is proof that sport is not only a natural fat burner, but also a way to achieve incredible success. Before Phelps reached his heights, however, he first had to travel a long way.
Michael Phelps was born in 1985 in Baltimore in the United States. He went to the pool for the first time at the age of 7 mainly for health reasons, as doctors felt that his diagnosed Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) would be best treated through controlled movement in the pool. However, this was not a good idea for young Michael, as he was panic-stricken about water as a child. Fortunately, thanks to the work of an instructor and the help of his family, young Phelps overcame his fear and has since fallen in love with swimming, so much so that he began his first training sessions at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. It was also there that the swimmer met Bob Bowman, the coach who showed him how to become the best.
American hope
During training and local competitions, Phelps has shown great initiative. Both by adhering to a weight-loss diet and strength and endurance training. This resulted in a series of victories that led to Michael Phelps making his national championship debut at the age of 13. Although he did not win spectacularly at the championships, he finished in the top four three times. Motivated to continue his work, a year later he competed again at the world championships, which brought him a win and an Olympic qualification.
At the age of 14, Michael Philips competed at his first Olympics, thus being the youngest member of the United States’ competing team to appear at the Sydney Games. Although the young Phelps did not win any medals, his fifth place finish indicated that he was the hope of American swimming.
Series of victories
His debut at the Olympic Games indicated that the young Phelsp treats sport not only as an effective fat burner, but a very important part of his life. Following suit, in 2001 he competed at the World Championships in Fukuoka, where he won the gold medal in the 200m butterfly. He then took part in the 2002 Pan Pacifick competition, from which he brought back two gold medals and one silver. However, this was a foretaste of his victories as at the 2003 World Championships in Barcelona, the 18-year-old Phelps won as many as four and two silver medals. These victories paved the way for his next Olympic Games.
At the age of just 19, the American swimmer won as many as six gold medals and two bronze medals at the Athens Olympics, setting one world and three Olympic records in the process.
These wins indicated that Phelsp not only knows how to lose weight quickly and prepare for competitions, but also how to win them. The athlete went on to compete at the 2005 World Championships, where he won four gold medals and one silver. At the next championships, he had already won seven gold medals and broken five world records. The real highlight, however, came in 2008 at the Olympic Games in Beijing, where he won eight gold medals, beating his compatriot Mark Spitz, who won seven in 1972.
Golden charge and ideal conditions
In the following years, Phelps mainly focused on his private life and dealing with some problems. In 2014, he was arrested for drunk driving and sent to forced rehab. However, the athlete knew that a weight loss diet and all the preparation could not thwart his plans to make history. The athlete was preparing for his next Olympic competition, which he wanted to win again. He achieved his goal in 2016 at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janerio, where he won six medals, one of which was already his fourth gold in the 200m freestyle, making it my fourth medal in a row in this category. Shortly after his return to the country, in 2016, Michael Phelsp announced the end of his professional career.
The athlete can owe his achievements to a weight-loss diet, supplements, as well as incredible stamina and genetic conditioning. At 193 centimetres tall, the athlete weighed 88 kilograms, with a bust circumference of 121 cm, a waist circumference of 89 cm and a biceps circumference of 41 cm. With such a sculpted body, the athlete could still stay in shape for several years.