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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2009
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Phelps: Growing Into All Those Golds

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(Newser) – At 23, Michael Phelps is poised to win the most gold medals ever by an individual at the Beijing Games, and earn some $5 million in endorsement deals for companies such as Visa and Speedo. Yet Phelps’ journey—from an 8-year-old throwing a temper tantrum after his first swimming loss to arguably the best swimmer of all time—has been a slow maturation, reports the Baltimore Sun.

Diagnosed with ADHD at 9, he first competed in the Olympics at 15. Yet at college in Ann Arbor, Phelps only begrudgingly learned to care for himself, once loading the dishwasher with hand soap, thereby floodling the kitchen with knee-deep bubbles. And highs (judging the Miss America pageant, trying to score Jenna Bush’s number in a nightclub) have been tempered by lows (breaking his wrist last year).

Michael Phelps swims to victory with a world record time of 1:54.80 in the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the US Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb., Friday, July 4, 2008.
Michael Phelps swims to victory with a world record time of 1:54.80 in the men's 200-meter individual medley final at the US Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb., Friday, July 4, 2008.   (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Michael Phelps smiles as he signs a autograph at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., on Saturday, July 12, 2008. Phelps will compete in 8 swimming events at the Beijing Olympics in August.
Michael Phelps smiles as he signs a autograph at Stanford University in Palo Alto, Calif., on Saturday, July 12, 2008. Phelps will compete in 8 swimming events at the Beijing Olympics in August.   (AP Photo/ Tony Avelar)
In this July 5, 2008 photo, Michael Phelps swims to victory in the men's 100-meter butterfly final at the US Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb.
In this July 5, 2008 photo, Michael Phelps swims to victory in the men's 100-meter butterfly final at the US Olympic swimming trials in Omaha, Neb.   (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
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Michael Phelps in action. The 23-year-old is poised to be the first person in history to win more than 7 individual Olympic golds.   (YouTube)

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Michael Phelps • 2008 Beijing Olympics • swimming • record • USA Swimming

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