Michael Phelps in Pictures: 27 Amazing Facts on The Greatest Olympian

1. He was born on June 30, 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland.

2. He is nicknamed as 'The Baltimore Bullet' and 'Flying Fish'.

3. He began swimming at the age of seven.

4. When was in the sixth standard, he was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

5. At the age of 10, he held a national record for his age group in the 100-meter butterfly.

6. His lungs are nearly twice the size of the average human, at 12 litres.

7. He has a 3-month-old son named Boomer.

8. His fiancee Nicole Johnson is an American model and beauty queen who was crowned Miss California USA 2010.

9. Phelps initially retired following the 2012 London Olympics, but in April 2014 he made a comeback.

10. In 2004, he was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and was sentenced to serve 18 months' probation.

11. In the year 2009, publication of a photo of Phelps using a water pipe handed him a three-month suspension by USA swimming.

12. In 2014 September, he was again arrested on speeding charges and driving under the influence of alcohol.

13. A street in his hometown of Baltimore was renamed The Michael Phelps Way in 2004.

14. He attended Rodgers Forge Elementary, Dumbarton Middle School, and Towson High School.

15. His ancestry includes English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh, and German.

16. He has won total 27 medals at the Olympics.

17. He was the American flag bearer at the opening ceremony of Rio 2016.

18. Phelps broke 200-meter butterfly world record in 2001 to become the youngest male swimmer ever to do so.

19. He became a world champion for the first time in 2001, at World Championships in Fukuoka, Japan.

20. Having represented US in 2000, 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016 Games, he holds the records for most gold medals (19), most such medals in individual events (11), and most such medals at a single games (8, in Beijing 2008).

21. With a net worth of around $55 million, he is counted among the richest Olympians ever.

22. Michael Phelps had set up a Michael Phelps Foundation, which aims at increasing the awareness of swimming as a sport.

23. In 2008, Michael Phelps famously claimed he ate 12,000 calories a day.

24. Bob Bowman became Phelps coach from a young age and has been with him ever since.

25. His father’s name is Fred Phelps and his mother’s name is Debbie Phelps. They were divorced when Phelps was 9.

26. Phelps was denied another gold in the 100m butterfly final at Rio which was won by Joseph Schooling.

27. After winning his 27th Olympic medal at Rio, he said he ready to retire.