The Summer Olympic Games or the Games of the Olympiad are an international multi-sport event, occurring every four years, organized by the International Olympic Committee. Medals are awarded in each event, with gold medals for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition that started in 1904. The Winter Olympics were also created due to the success of the summer Olympics.

The olympics have increased from a 42-event competition with fewer than 250 male athletes to a 300-event sporting celebration with over 10,000 competitors from 205 nations. Organizers for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing expected approximately 10,500 athletes to take part in the 302 events on the program for the games.

The United States has hosted four Summer Olympics Games, more than any other nation. The United Kingdom will have hosted three Summer Olympics Games when they return to the British capital in 2012, all of them have been (and will be) in London, making it the first city to hold the Summer Olympic Games three times. Australia, France, Germany and Greece have all hosted the Summer Olympic Games twice. Other countries that have hosted the summer Olympics are Belgium, Canada, Finland, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, South Korea, Spain, the Soviet Union and Sweden. China hosted the Summer Olympics for the first time in Beijing in 2008. In the 2016 Summer Olympics, Rio de Janeiro will host the first Summer Games in South America. Four cities have hosted two Summer Olympic Games: Los Angeles, London, Paris and Athens. Stockholm, Sweden, has hosted events at two Summer Olympic Games, having hosted the games in 1912 and the equestrian events at the 1956 Summer Olympics—which they are usually listed as jointly hosting. Events at the summer Olympics have also been held in Hong Kong and the Netherlands (both represented by their own NOCs), with the equestrian events at the 2008 Summer Olympics being held in Hong Kong and two sailing races at the 1920 Summer Olympics being held in the Netherlands.

Five countries – Greece, Great Britain, France, Switzerland, and Australia (twice combined with New Zealand as Australasia) – have been represented at all Summer Olympic Games. The only country to have won at least one gold medal at every Summer Olympic Games is Great Britain, ranging from one gold in 1904, 1952 and 1996 to fifty-six golds in 1908.

Qualification

Qualification rules for each of the Olympic sports are set by the International Sports Federations (IFs) that governs that sport's international competition.

For individual sports, competitors typically qualify through attaining a certain place in a major international event or on the IF's ranking list. National Olympic committees may enter a limited number of qualified competitors in each event, and the NOC decides which qualified competitors to select as representatives in each event if more have attained the benchmark than can be entered. Many events provide for a certain number of wild card entries, given to athletes from developing nations.

Nations qualify teams for team sports through continental qualifying tournaments, in which each continental association is given a certain number of spots in the Olympic tournament. The host nation is generally given an automatic qualification.

History

Early years

The modern Olympic Games were founded in 1894 when Pierre Fredy, Baron de Coubertin sought to promote international understanding through sporting competition. He based his Olympics on the Wenlock Olympian Society Annual Games, which had been contested in Much Wenlock since 1850.

The first edition of de Coubertin's games, held in Athens in 1896, attracted just 245 competitors, of whom more than 200 were Greek, and only 14 countries were represented. Nevertheless, no international events of this magnitude had been organized before. Female athletes were not allowed to compete, though one woman, Stamata Revithi, ran the marathon course on her own, saying "[i]f the committee doesn’t let me compete I will go after them regardless".

The 1896 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the I Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event which was celebrated in Athens, Greece, from April 6 to April 15, 1896. It was the first Olympic Games held in the Modern era. Ancient Greece was the birthplace of the Olympic Games, consequently Athens was perceived to be an appropriate choice to stage the inaugural modern Games. It was unanimously chosen as the host city during a congress organized by Pierre de Coubertin, a French pedagogue and historian, in Paris, on June 23, 1894. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) was also established during this congress.

Despite many obstacles and setbacks, the 1896 Olympics were regarded as a great success. The Games had the largest international participation of any sporting event to that date. Panathinaiko Stadium, the first big stadium in the modern world, overflowed with the largest crowd ever to watch a sporting event. The highlight for the Greeks was the marathon victory by their compatriot Spiridon Louis. The most successful competitor was German wrestler and gymnast Carl Schuhmann, who won four gold medals.

After the Games, Coubertin and the IOC were petitioned by several prominent figures including Greece's King George and some of the American competitors in Athens, to hold all the following Games in Athens. However, the 1900 Summer Olympics were already planned for Paris and, except for the 1906 Intercalated Games, the Olympics did not return to Greece until the 2004 Summer Olympics.

Four years later the 1900 Summer Olympics in Paris attracted more than four times as many athletes, including 11 women, who were allowed to officially compete for the first time, in croquet, golf, sailing, and tennis. The Games were integrated with the Paris World's Fair and lasted over 5 months. It is still disputed which events exactly were ''Olympic'', since few or maybe even none of the events were advertised as such at the time.

Numbers declined for the 1904 Games in St. Louis, Missouri, United States, due in part to the lengthy transatlantic boat trip required of the European competitors, and the integration with the Louisiana Purchase Exposition World's Fair, which again spread the event out over an extended period. In contrast with Paris 1900, the word ''Olympic'' was used for practically every contest, including those exclusively for school boys or for Irish-Americans.

A series of smaller games were held in Athens in 1906. The IOC does not currently recognize these games as being official Olympic Games, although many historians do. The 1906 Athens alternating series of games to be held in Athens, but the series failed to materialize. The games were more successful than the 1900 and 1904 games, with over 900 athletes competing, and contributed positively to the success of future games.

The 1908 London Games saw numbers rise again, as well as the first running of the marathon over its now-standard distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards). The winner of the first Olympic Marathon in 1896 (a male-only race) was Spiridon "Spiros" Louis, a Greek water-carrier. He won at the Olympics in 2 hours 58 minutes and 50 seconds at a distance of 40 km (24 miles 85 yards). The new marathon distance of 42.195 km (26 miles 385 yards) was chosen to ensure that the race finished in front of the box occupied by the British royal family. Thus the marathon had been 40 km for the first games in 1896, but was subsequently varied by up to 2 km due to local conditions such as street and stadium layout. At the six Olympic games between 1900 and 1920, the marathon was raced over six different distances.

At the end of the 1908 marathon the Italian runner Dorando Pietri was first to enter the stadium, but he was clearly in distress, and collapsed of exhaustion before he could complete the event. He was helped over the finish line by concerned race officials, but later he was disqualified and the gold medal was awarded to John Hayes, who had trailed him by around 30 seconds.

The Games continued to grow, attracting 2,504 competitors, to Stockholm in 1912, including the great all-rounder Jim Thorpe, who won both the decathlon and pentathlon. Thorpe had previously played a few games of baseball for a fee, and saw his medals stripped for this breach of amateurism after complaints from Avery Brundage. They were reinstated in 1983, 30 years after his death. The Games at Stockholm were the first to fulfill Pierre de Coubertin's original idea. For the first time since the Games started in 1896 were all continents represented with athletes competing in the same stadium.

The scheduled Berlin Games of 1916 were canceled following the onset of World War I.

Interwar era

The 1920 Antwerp games in war-ravaged Belgium were a subdued affair, but again drew a record number of competitors. This record only stood until 1924, when the Paris Games would involve 3,000 competitors, the greatest of whom was Finnish runner Paavo Nurmi. "The Flying Finn", won three team gold medals and the individual 1,500 and 5,000 meter runs, the latter two on the same day.

The 1928 Amsterdam games were notable for being the first games which allowed females to compete at track & field athletics, and benefited greatly from the general prosperity of the times alongside the first appearance of sponsorship of the games, from Coca-Cola. The 1928 games saw the introduction of a standard medal design with the IOC choosing Giuseppe Cassioli's depiction of greek goddess Nike and a winner being carried by a crowd of people. This design would be used up until 1972.

The 1932 in Los Angeles games were affected by the Great Depression, which contributed to the fewest competitors since the St. Louis games. The 1936 Berlin Games were seen by the German government as a golden opportunity to promote their ideology. The ruling Nazi Party commissioned film-maker Leni Riefenstahl to film the games. The result, ''Olympia'', was a masterpiece, despite Hitler's theories of Aryan racial superiority being repeatedly shown up by "non-Aryan" athletes. In particular, African-American sprinter and long jumper Jesse Owens won 4 gold medals. The tale of Hitler snubbing Owens at the ensuing medal ceremony is a fabrication. The 1936 Berlin Games also saw the reintroduction of the Torch Relay.

Due to World War II, the Games of 1940 (due to be held in Tokyo and temporarily relocated to Helsinki upon the outbreak of war) were canceled. The Games of 1944 were due to be held in London but were also canceled; instead, London hosted the first games after the end of the war, in 1948.

After World War II

The first post-war Games were held in 1948 in London, with both Germany and Japan excluded. Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen won four gold medals on the track, emulating Owens' achievement in Berlin.

At the 1952 Games in Helsinki the USSR team competed for the first time and immediately became one of the dominant teams. Finland made a legend of an amiable Czech army lieutenant named Emil Zátopek, who was intent on improving on his single gold and silver medals from 1948. Having first won both the 10,000 and 5,000 meter races, he also entered the marathon, despite having never previously raced at that distance. Pacing himself by chatting with the other leaders, Zátopek led from about half way, slowly dropping the remaining contenders to win by two and a half minutes, and completed a trio of wins.

The 1956 Melbourne Games were largely successful, barring a water polo match between Hungary and the Soviet Union, which political tensions caused to end as a pitched battle between the teams. Due to a foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in Britain at the time and the strict quarantine laws of Australia, the equestrian events were held in Stockholm.

At the 1960 Rome Games a young light-heavyweight boxer named Cassius Clay, later known as Muhammad Ali, arrived on the scene. Ali would later throw his gold medal away in disgust after being refused service in a whites-only restaurant in his home town, Louisville, Kentucky. Soviet women's artistic gymnastics team members won 15 of 16 possible medals. Other performers of note in 1960 included Wilma Rudolph, a gold medalist in the 100 meters, 200 meters and 4x100 meters relay events.

The 1964 Games held in Tokyo are notable for heralding the modern age of telecommunications. These games were the first to be broadcast worldwide on television, enabled by the recent advent of communication satellites. The 1964 Games were thus a turning point in the global visibility and popularity of the Olympics.

Performances at the 1968 Mexico City games were affected by the altitude of the host city. No event was affected more than the long jump. American athlete Bob Beamon jumped 8.90 meters, setting a new world record and, in the words of fellow competitor and then-reigning champion Lynn Davies, "making the rest of us look silly." Beamon's world record would stand for 23 years. The 1968 Games also introduced the now-universal Fosbury flop, a technique which won American high jumper Dick Fosbury the gold medal. Politics took center stage in the medal ceremony for the men's 200 meter dash, where Tommie Smith and John Carlos made a protest gesture on the podium against the segregation in the United States; their political act was condemned within the Olympic Movement, but was praised in the American Civil Rights Movement.

Politics again intervened at Munich in 1972, with lethal consequences. A Palestinian terrorist group named Black September invaded the Olympic village and broke into the apartment of the Israeli delegation. They killed two Israelis and held 9 others as hostages. The terrorists demanded that Israel release numerous prisoners. When the Israeli government refused their demand, a tense stand-off ensued while negotiations continued. Eventually the captors, still holding their hostages, were offered safe passage and taken to an airport, where they were ambushed by German security forces. In the firefight that followed, 15 people, including the nine Israeli athletes and five of the terrorists, were killed. After much debate, it was decided that the Games would continue, but proceedings were obviously dominated by these events. Some memorable athletic achievements did occur during these Games, notably the winning of a then-record seven gold medals by United States swimmer Mark Spitz, Lasse Virén (of Finland)'s back-to-back gold in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters (defeating American distance great Steve Prefontaine in the former), and the winning of three gold medals by 16-year-old Soviet gymnast Olga Korbut. Korbut failed to win the all-around, losing to her teammate Ludmilla Tourischeva.

There was no such tragedy in Montreal in 1976, but bad planning and fraud led to the Games' cost far exceeding the budget. The Montreal Games were the most expensive in Olympic history, until the 2008 Summer Olympics, costing over $5 billion (equivalent to $20 billion in 2006). For a time, it seemed that the Olympics might no longer be a viable financial proposition. In retrospect, the belief that contractors (suspected of being members of the Montreal Mafia) skimmed large sums of money from all levels of contracts while also profiting from the substitution of cheaper building materials of lesser quality, may have contributed to the delays, poor construction and excessive costs. In 1988, one such contractor, Giuseppe Zappia "was cleared of fraud charges that resulted from his work on Olympic facilities after two key witnesses died before testifying at his trial." There was also a boycott by African nations to protest against a recent tour of apartheid-run South Africa by a New Zealand rugby side. The Romanian gymnast Nadia Comăneci won the women's individual all around gold medal with two of four possible perfect scores, thus giving birth to a gymnastics dynasty in Romania. Another female gymnast to earn the perfect score and three gold medals there was Nellie Kim of the USSR. Lasse Virén repeated his double gold in the 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters, making him the only athlete to ever win the distance double twice.

End of the 20th century

Following the Soviet Union's participation in the Afghan Civil War, 66 nations, including the United States, Canada, West Germany and Japan, boycotted the 1980 games held in Moscow. The boycott contributed to the 1980 Games being a less publicised and less competitive affair, which was dominated by the host country.

In 1984 the Soviet Union, and 13 Soviet Allies, reciprocated by boycotting the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. These games were perhaps the first games of a new era to make a profit. The games were again viable, but had become more commercial. Again, without the participation of the Eastern European countries, the 1984 Games were dominated by their host country. The game was also the first time Mainland China (People's Republic) participated.

The 1988 games, in Seoul, were very well planned but the games were tainted when many of the athletes, most notably men's 100 metres winner Ben Johnson, failed mandatory drug tests. Despite splendid drug-free performances by many individuals, the number of people who failed screenings for performance-enhancing chemicals overshadowed the games.

On the bright side, drug testing and regulation authorities were catching up with the cheating that had been endemic in athletics for some years. The 1992 Barcelona Games were cleaner, although not without incident . In evidence there was increased professionalism amongst Olympic athletes, exemplified by US basketball's "Dream Team". 1992 also saw the reintroduction to the Games of several smaller European states which had been incorporated into the Soviet Union since World War II. These games also saw gymnast Vitaly Scherbo equal the record for most individual gold medals at a single Games set by Eric Heiden in the 1980 Winter Games, with five.

By then the process of choosing a location for the Games had itself become a commercial concern; allegations of corruption rocked the International Olympic Committee, in particular with reference to Salt Lake City's bid to host the 2002 Winter Olympics. It was also widely rumored that The Coca-Cola Company, a key IOC sponsor, was highly influential in the 1996 Summer Olympics being hosted by its home city of Atlanta. In the stadium in 1996, the highlight was 200 meters runner Michael Johnson annihilating the world record in front of a home crowd. Canadians savored Donovan Bailey's record-breaking gold medal run in the 100-meter dash. This was popularly felt to be an appropriate recompense for the previous national disgrace involving Ben Johnson. There were also emotional scenes, such as when Muhammad Ali, clearly affected by Parkinson's disease, lit the Olympic torch and received a replacement medal for the one he had discarded in 1960. The latter event took place not at the boxing ring but in the basketball arena, at the demand of US television. The atmosphere at the Games was marred, however, when a bomb exploded during the celebration in Centennial Olympic Park. In June 2003, the principal suspect in this bombing, Eric Robert Rudolph, was arrested.

New millennium

The 2000 Games were held in Sydney, Australia, and showcased individual performances by local favorite Ian Thorpe in the pool, Briton Steve Redgrave who won a rowing gold medal in an unprecedented fifth consecutive Olympics, and Cathy Freeman, an Indigenous Australian whose triumph in the 400 meters united a packed stadium. Eric "the Eel" Moussambani, a swimmer from Equatorial Guinea, had a memorably slow 100 meter freestyle swim that showed that, even in the commercial world of the twentieth century, some of de Coubertin's original vision still remained. The Sydney Games were also memorable for the first appearance of a joint North and South Korean contingent (to a standing ovation) at the opening ceremonies, even if they competed as different countries. Controversy did not escape the 2000 Games in Women's Artistic Gymnastics, in which the vaulting horse was set to the wrong height during the All Around Competition. Several athletes faltered, including Russian Svetlana Khorkina, who had been favored to win gold after qualifying for the competition in first place.

In 2004 the Games returned to their birthplace in Athens, Greece. Greece spent at least $7.2 billion on the Games, including $1.5 billion on security alone. Nonetheless, the Men's Gymnastics events were mired in controversy when it was discovered that Korean gymnast Yang Tae Young had been incorrectly credited with a lower start value, which placed him third behind American Paul Hamm, who won the competition. Later in the event finals, fans halted the Men's High Bar competition with chants of disapproval following the release of the score for Russian Alexei Nemov. Allegations of corrupt judging also marred the event finals in men's still rings. Although unfounded and wildly sensationalized reports of potential terrorism drove crowds away from the preliminary competitions of first weekend of the games (14–15 August), attendance picked up as the games progressed. Still, a third of the tickets failed to sell. The Athens Games witnessed all 202 NOCs participate with over 11,000 participants.

The 2008 Summer Olympics were held in Beijing, People's Republic of China. This Olympics was the subject of much controversy, especially following the March Tibetan riots. Human rights activists unsuccessfully called for a boycott, and some even compared the 2008 Olympics to the 1936 ones held in Nazi Germany. Several new events were held, including the new discipline of BMX for both men and women. For the first time, women competed in the steeplechase. The fencing program was expanded to include all six events for both men and women. Women had not previously been able to compete in team foil or saber events (although women's team épée and men's team foil were dropped for these Games). Marathon swimming events, over the distance of 10 kilometers, were added. In addition, the doubles events in table tennis were replaced by team events. American swimmer Michael Phelps set a record for gold medals at a single Games with eight, and tied the record of Heiden and Scherbo for most individual golds at a single Games. Another major star of the Games was Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt, who became the first male athlete ever to set world records in the finals of both the 100 and 200 metres in the same Games.

London, United Kingdom will hold the 2012 Summer Olympics, making it the first city to host the Games three times. The International Olympic Committee has removed baseball and softball from the 2012 program. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil will be the host city of the 2016 Summer Olympics, becoming the first South American city to host either the Summer or Winter Games. Also, this will be the first games held in a lusosphere country (a Portuguese speaking country).

List of Olympic sports

43 different sports, spanning 56 different disciplines, have been part of the Olympic program at one point or another. 28 sports have comprised the schedule for the 2000, 2004, and 2008 Summer Olympics, though baseball and softball have been removed to give a list of 26 for the 2012 Games.

The Summer Olympic Sports or Federations are regrouped under a common umbrella association, called the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations (ASOIF).

{| cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" |valign="top"| {| class=wikitable ! Sport || Years |- | Archery || 1900–1912, 1920, since 1972 |- | Athletics || all |- | Badminton || since 1992 |- | Baseball || 1992–2008 |- | Basketball || since 1936 |- | Basque pelota || 1900 |- | Boxing || 1904, 1908, since 1920 |- | Canoeing and kayaking || since 1936 |- | Cricket || 1900 |- | Croquet || 1900 |- | Cycling || all |- | Diving || since 1904 |- | Equestrian || 1900, since 1912 |- | Fencing || all |- | Football || 1900–1928, since 1936 |- | Golf || 1900, 1904, 2016 |- | Gymnastics || all |- | Handball || 1936, since 1972 |- | Hockey (field) || 1908, 1920, since 1928 |- | Jeu de paume || 1908 |- | Judo || 1964, since 1972 |- | Lacrosse || 1904, 1908 |} |valign="top"| {| class=wikitable ! Sport || Years |- | Modern pentathlon || since 1912 |- | Polo || 1900, 1908, 1920, 1924, 1936 |- | Rackets || 1908 |- | Roque || 1904 |- | Rowing || since 1900 |- | Rugby union || 1900, 1908, 1920, 1924 |- | Rugby sevens || 2016 |- | Sailing || 1900, since 1908 |- | Shooting || 1896, 1900, 1908–1924, since 1932 |- | Softball || 1996–2008 |- | Swimming || all |- | Synchronized swimming || since 1984 |- | Table tennis || since 1988 |- | Taekwondo || since 2000 |- | Tennis || 1896–1924, since 1988 |- | Triathlon || since 2000 |- | Tug of war || 1900–1920 |- | Volleyball || since 1964 |- | Water motorsports || 1908 |- | Water polo || 1900, since 1908 |- | Weightlifting || 1896, 1904, since 1920 |- | Wrestling || 1896, since 1904 |} |}

List of modern Summer Olympic Games

241 997 651 2008 2407 2626 3089 2883 1332 3963 4104 4955 3314 5338 5151 5516 7134 6084 5179 6829 8391 9356 10318 10651 10625 10942

Games	Year	Host	Dates	Nations	Competitors	Sports	Events	Ref
Total	! Men	! Women
1896 Summer Olympics	I	1896	align=left		14	241	|	0	9	43
	1900	align=left		24	|	975	22	18	95
	1904	align=left		12	|	645	6	17	91
	1908	align=left		22	|	1971	37	22	110
	1912			28	|	2359	48	14	102
	''1916''
	1920			29	|	2561	65	22	154
	1924	align=left		44	|	2954	135	17	126
	1928			46	|	2606	277	14	109
	1932			37	|	1206	126	14	117
	1936	align=left		49	|	3632	331	19	129
	''1940''
	''1944''
	1948			59	|	3714	390	17	136
	1952			69	|	4436	519	17	149
	1956			72	|	2938	376	17	145
	1960			83	|	4727	611	17	150
	1964			93	|	4473	678	19	163
	1968			112	|	4735	781	18	172
	1972			121	|	6075	1059	21	195
	1976			92	|	4824	1260	21	198
	1980			80	|	4064	1115	21	203
	1984			140	|	5263	1566	21	221
	1988			160	|	6197	2194	23	237
	1992			169	|	6652	2704	25	257
	1996			197	|	6806	3512	26	271
	2000			199	|	6582	4069	28	300
	2004			201	|	6296	4329	28	301
	2008			204	|	6305	4637	28	302
	2012
	2016
	2020
	2024
	2028

''Note: Although the Games of 1916, 1940, and 1944 had been cancelled, the Roman numerals for those Games were still used because the Summer Games' official titles count Olympiads, not the Games themselves; those Olympiads occurred anyway per the Olympic Charter. This is in contrast to the Roman numerals in the official titles of the Winter Olympic Games, which ignore the cancelled Winter Games of 1940 & 1944; those titles count Games instead of Olympiads.''

See also

List of participating nations at the Summer Olympic Games

All-time Olympic Games medal count

Olympic Games scandals

Winter Olympic Games

Olympic Stadium

Multi-sport event

Olympic Games ceremony

Summer Paralympic Games

Notes

External links

Official Site of the Olympic Movement

Summer Olympic Games medalists and records (German)

Candidate Cities for future Olympic Games

LA84 Foundation archive of Official Reports

Category:1896 establishments

af:Olimpiese Somerspele ar:ألعاب أولمبية صيفية az:Yay Olimpiya Oyunları bn:গ্রীষ্মকালীন অলিম্পিক গেম্‌স zh-min-nan:Hā-kùi Olympia Ūn-tōng-hoē be:Летнія Алімпійскія гульні be-x-old:Летнія Алімпійскія гульні bcl:Olimpikong Karawat sa Tig-init bs:Ljetne olimpijske igre bg:Летни олимпийски игри ca:Jocs Olímpics d'estiu cs:Letní olympijské hry da:Sommer-OL de:Olympische Sommerspiele et:Suveolümpiamängud el:Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες es:Juegos Olímpicos de Verano eo:Someraj Olimpikoj eu:Udako Olinpiar Jokoak fa:بازی‌های المپیک تابستانی fr:Jeux olympiques d'été ko:하계 올림픽 id:Olimpiade Musim Panas it:Giochi olimpici estivi la:Olympia Aestiva lv:Vasaras Olimpiskās spēles lt:Vasaros olimpinės žaidynės mr:उन्हाळी ऑलिंपिक क्रीडा स्पर्धा mn:Зуны олимп nl:Olympische Zomerspelen ja:夏季オリンピック no:Olympiske sommerleker nn:Olympiske sommarleikar pa:ਓਲੰਪਿਕ ਖੇਡਾਂ pl:Letnie igrzyska olimpijskie ro:Jocuri Olimpice de vară ru:Летние Олимпийские игры simple:Summer Olympic Games sk:Letné olympijské hry sl:Poletne olimpijske igre sv:Olympiska sommarspelen tl:Palarong Olimpiko sa Tag-init th:โอลิมปิกฤดูร้อน tr:Yaz Olimpiyat Oyunları uk:Літні Олімпійські ігри vi:Thế vận hội Mùa hè zh:夏季奥林匹克运动会

name	Michael Phelps
fullname	Michael Fred Phelps
nicknames	MP; The Baltimore Bullet
nationality	USA
strokes	Backstroke, butterfly, freestyle, individual medley
club	North Baltimore Aquatic Club
birth date	June 30, 1985
birth place	Baltimore, Maryland
height
medaltemplates	}}

}}

Michael Fred Phelps (born June 30, 1985) is an American swimmer who has, overall, won 16 Olympic medals—six gold and two bronze at Athens in 2004, and eight gold at Beijing in 2008, becoming the most successful athlete at both of these Olympic Games editions. In doing so he has twice equaled the record eight medals of any type at a single Olympics achieved by Soviet gymnast Alexander Dityatin at the 1980 Moscow Summer Games. His five golds in individual events tied the single Games record set by compatriot Eric Heiden in the 1980 Winter Olympics and equaled by Vitaly Scherbo at the 1992 Summer Games. Phelps holds the record for the most gold medals won in a single Olympics; his eight at the 2008 Beijing Games surpassed American swimmer Mark Spitz's seven-gold performance at Munich in 1972. Phelps' Olympic medal total is second only to the 18 Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina won over three Olympics, including nine gold. Furthermore, he holds the all-time record for most individual gold Olympic medals, at nine.

Phelps's international titles and record breaking performances have earned him the World Swimmer of the Year Award six times and American Swimmer of the Year Award eight times. He has won a total of sixty-six medals in major international competition, fifty-four gold, nine silver, and three bronze spanning the Olympics, the World, and the Pan Pacific Championships. His unprecedented Olympic success in 2008 earned Phelps ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine's Sportsman of the Year award.

After the 2008 Summer Olympics, Phelps started the Michael Phelps Foundation, which focuses on growing the sport of swimming and promoting healthier lifestyles. As a participant in the US Anti-Doping Agency's "Project Believe" program, Phelps is regularly tested to ensure that his system is clean of performance-enhancing drugs.

Early life

Phelps was born and raised in the Rodgers Forge neighborhood of Towson, Maryland, located just outside of Baltimore City. His father, Fred, was a football player in high school and almost made the team for the Washington Redskins. His mother Deborah "Debbie" Phelps is a middle school principal. When Phelps was in the sixth grade, he was diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Phelps trained at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club under coach Bob Bowman and excelled as a swimmer. By the age of 10, he held a national record for his age group. More age group records followed, and Phelps' rapid improvement culminated in his qualifying for the 2000 Summer Olympics at the age of 15 and becoming the youngest male to make a U.S. Olympic swim team in 68 years. While he did not win a medal, he did make the finals and finished fifth in the 200 m butterfly.

At the World Championship Trials for the 2001 World Aquatics Championships, on 22 July, Phelps broke the world record in the 200 m butterfly to become, at 15 years and 9 months, the youngest man ever to set a swimming world record, breaking the record previously held by Ian Thorpe when he lowered the 400 m freestyle world record at 16 years, 10 months. At the World Championships in Fukuoka, Phelps broke his own world record in the 200 m butterfly en route to becoming a world champion for the first time.

2002 Pan Pacific Championships

}} (WR)

At Nationals, the selection meet for the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, in Fort Lauderdale, Phelps set an American record in the 200 m individual medley and was just off the world record in the 200 m butterfly. In the 400 m individual medley, Phelps bettered the world record held by Tom Dolan with a time of 4:11.09, just ahead of Erik Vendt, who finished second with a time of 4:11.27, also below the old world record. In the 200 m freestyle, Phelps was barely beaten by Klete Keller and in the 100 m butterfly, Phelps beat Ian Crocker.

At the 2002 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Yokohama, Phelps won three gold medals and two silvers. In his first event, the 400 m individual medley, Phelps won gold ahead of Erik Vent with a time of 4:12.48. In the 200 m butterfly, Phelps lost to Tom Malchow, finishing behind him 1:55.41 to 1:55.21. Phelps said he lost because he did not take butterfly training seriously after he broke the world record. In the 200 m individual medley, Phelps won with a time of 1:59.70. In the 4×200 m freestyle relay, Phelps, along with Nate Dusing, Klete Keller, and Chad Carvin won the silver medal with a time 7:11.81 finishing behind Australia. The U.S. 4×100 m medley relay team consisted of Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, Phelps, and Ian Crocker. In the final for the medley relay, Phelps swam a 51.1 split, at the time the fastest split in history. The final time of 3:33.48 was a world record.

2003 World Championships

At Nationals, Phelps won the 200 m freestyle, 200 m backstroke, and the 100 m butterfly. He became the first American swimmer to win three different races in three different strokes at a national championship. At a meet in Santa Clara, Phelps broke the world record in the 200 m individual medley with a time of 1:57.94. Phelps said he broke the 200 m individual medley world record after Don Talbot said Phelps was unproven, using his words as motivation.

At the 2003 World Aquatics Championships, Phelps won four gold medals, two silver medals, and broke five world records. Phelps broke his first world record on July 22 in the semi-finals for the 200 m butterfly. Phelps swam a 1:53.93 to break his own world record of 1:54.58 set in 2001 and became the first man to swim under 1:54.00. In the final of the 200 m butterfly, on July 23, Phelps easily won the gold medal, but did not come close to his world record with a time of 1:54.35. Less than an hour later, Phelps swam the lead-off leg for the 4×200 m freestyle relay. Phelps put up a solid time of 1:46.60 (an American record) but the Americans could not match the depth of the Australians and ultimately finished second 7:10.26 to 7:08.58. In the 200 m individual medley, Phelps showed complete dominance. On July 24, in the semifinals of the 200 m IM, Phelps broke his own world record with a time of 1:57.52. On July 25, in the final of the 200 m IM, Phelps smashed his own record with a time of 1:56.04 to win the gold medal and finished almost 3 seconds ahead of Ian Thorpe. About an hour before the final of the 200 m IM, Phelps swam in the semifinals of the 100 m butterfly. Phelps again showed dominance, finishing in the top seed with a world record time of 51.47. However, in the final of the 100 m butterfly, on July 26, Ian Crocker erased Phelps' world record with a time of 50.98, to become the first man under 51 seconds. Phelps swam a 51.10 (also under his former world record) but had to settle for silver. In the final of the 400 m individual medley, on July 27, Phelps broke his own world record with a time of 4:09.09 to easily claim the gold medal. About half an hour later, Phelps earned his final gold medal when the United States team won the 4×100 m medley relay. Phelps did not swim in the finals but still earned a medal because he swam in the heats.

2004 Summer Olympics

Trials

At the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Phelps competed in six events, including the 200 and 400 m IM, the 100 and 200 m butterfly, the 200 m freestyle, and the 200 m backstroke. In his first event, the 400 m individual medley, Phelps easily won with a world record time of 4:08.41. Two days later, in the 200 m freestyle, Phelps won with a time of 1:46.27, finishing sixth-tenths of a second ahead of Klete Keller. Phelps, however, was not pleased with the result and wanted to be in the 1:45s and was uncertain if he would swim the event in Athens. The following day, Phelps won in the 200 m butterfly with a time of 1:54.31, three seconds ahead of second place finisher Tom Malchow. After two days off, Phelps was back in the pool and finished second to Aaron Peirsol in the 200 m backstroke. Less than half an hour later, Phelps won the 200 m individual medley title ahead of Ryan Lochte by 2.70 seconds. The following day, Phelps finished second to Ian Crocker in the 100 m butterfly. Crocker won in a time of 50.76, a world record and 0.39 seconds ahead of Phelps. When the Trials were over, Phelps became the first person to qualify in six individual events for a U.S. Olympic team. However, Phelps dropped the 200 m backstroke to focus on the 200 m freestyle because he wanted to race Ian Thorpe.

Olympics

In his first event, the 400 m individual medley, Phelps won with a world record time of 4:08.26 to win his first Olympic gold medal. The following day, in the 4×100 m freestyle relay, Phelps, along with Ian Crocker, Neil Walker, and Jason Lezak, finished in third place with a time of 3:14.62. Crocker's lead-off time of 50.05 was the worst among the field and was blamed on sickness. In the event many were calling ''The Race of the Century'', held the following day, Phelps finished in third place behind Ian Thorpe and Pieter van den Hoogenband in the 200 m freestyle. Although this race ended the chance to match Spitz's record, Phelps had savored the challenge even though it was not his strongest event, saying "How can I be disappointed? I swam in a field with the two fastest freestylers of all time". In his fourth event, the 200 m butterfly, held the following day, Phelps finished first with a time of 1:54.04, breaking Tom Malchow's Olympic record. About an hour later, in the 4×200 m freestyle relay, Phelps, along with Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay, and Klete Keller, finished in first place with a time of 7:07.33. Two days later, in the 200 m individual medley, Phelps finished first with a time of 1:57.14, an Olympic record. In the 100 m butterfly final, held the following day, Phelps defeated American teammate Ian Crocker (who was holding the world record in the event at the time) by just 0.04 seconds with a time of 51.25. Traditionally, the Olympian who places highest in an individual event will be automatically given the corresponding leg of the 4×100 m medley relay. This gave Phelps an automatic entry into the medley relay but he deferred and Crocker swam instead. Phelps' gesture gave Crocker a chance to make amends as well getting his final shot at a gold medal. In winning six gold and two bronze medals, Phelps, still a teenager, had the second-best performance ever at a single Olympics, behind Mark Spitz's seven gold medals in Munich in 1972. Also, he became the second male swimmer ever to win more than two individual titles at a single Games with four, tying Spitz's four from 1972.

2005 World Championships

At the 2005 World Championship Trials, Phelps decided to drop his specialty events, the 400 m individual medley and the 200 m butterfly, and experiment with the 400 m freestyle and the 100 m freestyle. Phelps went on to win the 400 m freestyle, the 200 m freestyle, the 100 m butterfly, the 100 m freestyle, and the 200 m individual medley at the Trials.

At the 2005 World Aquatics Championships, Phelps won a total of six medals, 5 golds and one silver. In the 400 m freestyle, Phelps did not make it past the preliminary heats and finished 18th overall with a time of 3:50.53. Later that day, in the 4×100 m freestyle relay, Phelps won his first gold in the Championships. Two days later, on July 26, Phelps won his second gold in the 200 m freestyle with a new American record time of 1:45.20, finishing ahead of Grant Hackett. Two days later, on July 28, Phelps finished 7th in the 100 m freestyle final. Later that day, Phelps won his third gold in the 200 m individual medley. On July 29, Phelps, along with Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay and Klete Keller, won the gold in the 4×200 m freestyle relay with a time of 7:06.58. This was the fourth gold medal for Phelps. On July 30, Phelps swam in his last individual event, the 100 m butterfly. In the final, Phelps could not match the speed of Ian Crocker and had to settle for silver finishing 51.65 to 50.40. On July 31, Phelps earned his final gold medal when the United States team won the 4×100 m medley relay. Phelps did not swim in the finals but still earned a medal because he swam in the heats.

2006 Pan Pacific Championships

(WR) (WR) (WR)

At the 2006 National Championships, Phelps won a total of three events. In his first event, the 200 m butterfly, Phelps won with a time of 1:54.32. In his second event, the 100 m butterfly, Phelps just edged out Ian Crocker 51.51 to 51.73. In his third event, the 200 m individual medley, Phelps won with a time of 1:56.50, just ahead of Ryan Lochte's time of 1:56.78.

At the 2006 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships in Victoria, Phelps won five gold medals and one silver. In his first event, the 200 m butterfly, Phelps won in a world record time of 1:53.80, his first world record in two years. In his second event, the 400 m individual medley, Phelps easily won with a time of 4:10.47, 3.38 seconds ahead of second place finisher Robert Margalis. In his third event, the 4×200 m freestyle relay, Phelps, along with Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay, and Klete Keller won the gold medal with a time 7:05.28. In his fourth event, the 200 m backstroke, Phelps won the silver medal, finishing behind Aaron Peirsol 1:56.81 to 1:54.44. In his fifth event, the 4×100 m freestyle relay, Phelps, along with Neil Walker, Cullen Jones, and Jason Lezak won the gold medal with a world record time 3:12.46. In his sixth event, the 200 m individual medley, Phelps won with a world record time of 1:55.84, breaking his record of 1:55.94 set in 2003.

2007 World Championships

At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, Phelps won seven gold medals, tying the record, and broke five world records. Phelps first gold medal came in the 4×100 m freestyle. Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 48.42 and Neil Walker, Cullen Jones and Jason Lezak each expanded the lead to win in a Championship record of 3:12.72, just missing the world record of 3:12.46 set last year. Phelps set his first world record in the Championships in the 200 m freestyle, his second race. Phelps won the gold ahead of Pieter van den Hoogenband and broke Ian Thorpe's six-year-old world record with a time of 1:43.86. For his third race, the 200 m butterfly, Phelps won the gold and bettered his own world record of 1:53.71 with a time of 1:52.09. For his fourth race, the 200 m individual medley, Phelps set his third world record with a time of 1:54.98, bettering his own world record time of 1:55.84 For his fifth race, the 4×200 m freestyle relay, Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 1:45.36 as the American team of Ryan Lochte, Klete Keller, and Peter Vanderkaay went on to win the gold medal and beat the previous world record set by Australia in 2001 with a time 7:03.24. For his sixth race, the 100 m butterfly, Phelps edged out Ian Crocker 50.77 to 50.82 to win his sixth gold medal. For his seventh event, the 400 m individual medley, Phelps won the gold medal in a world record time of 4:06.22, more than 3.5 second ahead of Ryan Lochte. The 4×100 m medley relay team would have competed in the final but received a disqualification for a false start during a changeover in the heats, ending Phelps chance of eight gold medals.

2008 Summer Olympics

Trials

At the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials, Phelps competed in six individual events. In his first event the 400 m individual medley, Phelps broke his own world record of 4:06.22 with a time of 4:05.25. In his second event the 200 m freestyle, Phelps won with a time of 1:44.10, ahead of Peter Vanderkaay's time 1:45.85. In his third event the 100 m freestyle, Phelps placed second in his heat with a time of 47.92, ensuring him a spot on the relay. In his fourth event the 200 m butterfly, Phelps won with a time of 1:52.20. In his fifth event the 200 m individual medley, Phelps broke his own world record of 1:54.98 with a time of 1:54.80. In his sixth and final event the 100 m butterfly, Phelps won with a time of 50.89. When asked about his chances of winning eight gold medals in Beijing, Phelps said, "I am going to prepare for that meet just like I do every other meet ... There is only so much I can do in a month and then I am going to prepare myself the best that I can."

Olympics

Phelps set an Olympic record in the preliminary heats of the men's 400 m individual medley. He followed that up in the final by winning the gold medal, as well as breaking his previous world record by nearly two seconds.

Phelps swam the first leg of the men's 4×100 m freestyle relay in a time of 47.51 seconds (an American record for the 100 m freestyle), and won his second gold medal of the 2008 Olympics, as well as setting his second world record of the Olympics (3:08.24). Teammate Jason Lezak, after beginning the anchor leg more than half a body length behind Alain Bernard, managed to finish ahead of the second-place French team by eight hundredths of a second. The top five teams in the final finished ahead of the world record of 3:12.23 set the day before by the American B team in a preliminary heat.

For his third race, Phelps broke his previous world record in the 200 m freestyle by nearly a second and won his third gold medal. He also set his third world record at the Olympics, 1:42.96, winning by nearly two seconds over silver medalist Park Tae-Hwan. In this race, Phelps became only the fifth Olympic athlete in modern history to win nine gold medals, along with Mark Spitz, Larisa Latynina, Paavo Nurmi, and Carl Lewis. The next day, Phelps participated in two finals. In his first event, the 200 m butterfly, Phelps made it four gold medals and world records in four events by swimming the final in 1:52.03, defeating silver medalist László Cseh by almost seven-tenths of a second despite his goggles filling up with water and being unable to "see anything for the last 100 meters. This fourth gold medal was his tenth, and made him the all-time leader for most Olympic gold medals won by an individual in the modern Olympic era.

Less than one hour after his gold medal victory in the 200 m butterfly, Phelps swam the lead-off leg of the 4×200 m freestyle relay. With Lochte, Ricky Berens, and Peter Vanderkaay he won his fifth gold and set his fifth world record as the American team finished first with a time of 6:58.56. The Americans were the first team to break the seven-minute mark in the relay, and broke the previous record, set in Melbourne, Australia, by more than four and a half seconds.

After taking a day off from finals (Phelps did swim in qualifying heats), Phelps won his sixth gold of the Beijing Games on August 15 by winning the 200 m individual medley with a world record time of 1:54.23, finishing ahead of Cseh by over two seconds.

7th gold medal and controversy

Before the final of the 100 m butterfly, Serbian-American swimmer Milorad Čavić caused a minor stir when he said it would be "good" if Phelps lost. "It'd be good for him if he loses. It would be nice if historians talk about Michael Phelps winning seven gold medals and losing the eight to 'some guy.' I'd like to be that guy.", Cavic said. Phelps responded, "When people say things like that, it fires me up more than anything." On August 16, Phelps won his seventh gold medal of the Games in the men’s 100 m butterfly, setting an Olympic record for the event with a time of 50.58 seconds and edging out his nearest competitor Čavić, by 1/100 of a second.

Unlike all six of his previous events in the 2008 Games, Phelps did not set a new world record, leaving Ian Crocker’s world record time of 50.40 seconds, set in 2005, intact.

Phelps’s 0.01-second finish ahead of Čavić prompted the Serbian delegation to file a protest. Subsequent analysis of the video by the FINA panel, which required analyzing frames shot 1/10,000th of a second apart, was used to officially confirm Phelps’s victory, but the images were not immediately released to the press. The initial refusal by official timekeeper Omega to release underwater photos of the finish also raised questions due to Phelps's sponsorship relationship with Omega. Čavić later wrote in his blog, "People, this is the greatest moment of my life. If you ask me, it should be accepted and we should move on. I’ve accepted defeat, and there’s nothing wrong with losing to the greatest swimmer there has ever been". However, in August 2009, Omega officials admitted that while Čavić "for sure" touched the wall first, "Phelps did it more forcefully," thus registering the time first. In a press conference at the XIIIth FINA World Championship in Rome, Omega General Manager Christophe Berthaud elaborated that "the video [from Beijing 2008] also shows us that Čavić touched the pad before Phelps" but "with the system we are having, with the touch pad, there is a big, big difference that you have to understand, between touching the pad and pushing the pad".

Phelps’s seventh gold medal of the Games tied Mark Spitz’s record for gold medals won in a single Olympic Games, set in the 1972 Olympics. It was also his fifth individual gold medal in Beijing, tying the record for individual gold medals at a single Games originally set by Eric Heiden in the 1980 Winter Olympics and equaled by Vitaly Scherbo at the 1992 Summer Games. Said Phelps upon setting his seventh-straight Olympic record of the Games in as many events, "Dream as big as you can dream, and anything is possible ... I am sort of in a dream world. Sometimes I have to pinch myself to make sure it is real."

All-time record

On August 17, Phelps won his eighth gold medal in the men’s 4×100 m medley relay, breaking Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals won in a single Olympic Games, which had stood since 1972. Phelps, along with teammates Brendan Hansen, Aaron Peirsol, and Jason Lezak, set a new world record in the event with a time of 3 minutes and 29.34 seconds, 0.7 seconds ahead of second-place Australia and 1.34 seconds faster than the previous record set by the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. When Phelps dived in to swim the 100 m butterfly leg, the third leg of the 400-meter medley, the United States had been trailing Australia and Japan. Phelps completed his split in 50.1 seconds, the fastest butterfly split ever for the event, giving teammate Jason Lezak a more than half-second lead for the final leg, which he would hold onto to clinch the event in world record time. Said Phelps, upon completing the event that awarded him his eighth gold medal and eighth Olympic record in as many events, "Records are always made to be broken no matter what they are ... Anybody can do anything that they set their mind to."

2009 World Championships

At the 2009 National Championships, Phelps drastically shortened his program, only swimming in three individual events. In his first event, the 200 m freestyle, Phelps won with a time of 1:44.23. In his second event, the 200 m butterfly, Phelps easily won with a time of 1:52.76, 0.88 seconds ahead of the second place finisher. In his third event, the 100 m butterfly, Phelps won with a world record time of 50.22. At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, Phelps won a total of 6 medals, 5 golds and 1 silver. In his first event, the 4×100 m freestyle relay, Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 47.78, well off his 47.51 performance in Beijing but the American team was able to edge out Russia and France for the gold. For his second race, the 200 m freestyle, Phelps lost his first race in four years to Germany's Paul Biedermann. Phelps touched second in 1:43.22 but Biedermann smashed Phelps' record of 1:42.96 set in Beijing a year ago with a time of 1:42.00. Phelps took the silver graciously, but coach Bob Bowman threatened to withdraw Phelps from international competition because Bowman claimed Biedermann had an unfair advantage because he was wearing a full polyurethane swim suit, specifically an Arena X-Glide. Bowman said, "It took me five years to get Michael from 1:46 to 1:42 and this guy has done it in 11 months. That's an amazing training performance. I'd like to know how to do that." Phelps rebounded from this loss and for his third race, the 200 m butterfly, Phelps won the gold and broke his own world record of 1:52.03 with a time of 1:51.51. For his fourth race, the 4×200 m freestyle relay, Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 1:44.49 as the team went on to win the gold medal and break the world record set last year. After his loss in the 200 m freestyle, many thought Phelps was vulnerable coming into the final for the 100 m butterfly. His closest competitor, Milorad Čavić, who wore an Arena X-Glide (the same suit Biedermann beat Phelps with), thought people were making excuses for Phelps because he was wearing an LZR Racer. Čavić even offered to buy Phelps a new suit. For his fifth race, the 100 m butterfly, Phelps won the gold and became the first man under 50 seconds, beating Čavić 49.82 to 49.95. The victory prompted a fierce celebration from Phelps, who sat on the lane rope, and pumped his chest and swimsuit. For his final event, the 4×100 m medley relay, Phelps won his fifth gold medal. Phelps, along with teammates Aaron Peirsol, Eric Shanteau, and David Walters, set a new world record in the event with a time of 3 minutes and 27.28 seconds.

2010 Pan Pacific Championships

At the 2010 National Championships, Phelps competed in five individual events. In the 200 m freestyle, Phelps won ahead of Ryan Lochte in a time of 1:45.61. About an hour later, Phelps returned to the pool to win the 200 m butterfly. But Phelps was not happy with his performance and called it the "worst" 200 m butterfly of his life. In the 100 m butterfly, Phelps won his 50th national title in 50.65. After the race, Phelps said he was "fairly pleased" with the result. In the 200 m individual medley, Phelps finished second to Lochte 1:55.94 to 1:54.84. It was the first time Lochte beat Phelps in a major national meet. In the 200 m backstroke, Phelps finished in 4th place in 1:56.98.

On the first day of competition at the 2010 Pan Pacific Swimming Championships, Phelps opted out swimming in the final of the 200 m freestyle to focus on the 200 m butterfly. In the 200 m butterfly, Phelps led from start-to-finish and finished first with a time of 1:54.11. Although it was much slower than his 1:51.51 time from last year, Phelps has not lost a 200 m butterfly final since 2002. On day two of the competition, Phelps swam in the heats of the 400 m individual medley and contributed in the 4×200 m freestyle relay. In the heats of the 400 m individual medley, Phelps failed to make the A final, with Lochte and Tyler Clary taking the top two American positions. Phelps did not swim in the B final of the 400 m individual medley. In the 4×200 m freestyle relay, Phelps, with Peter Vanderkaay, Ricky Berens, and Lochte finished first ahead of Japan and Australia. On day three of the competition, Phelps competed in the 100 m butterfly and contributed in the 4×100 m freestyle relay. In the 100 m butterfly, Phelps finished first in a time of 50.86, a championship record. In the 4×100 m freestyle relay, Phelps, with Lochte, Jason Lezak, and Nathan Adrian finished first ahead of Australia and South Africa. As the lead-off leg in the 4×100 m freestyle relay, Phelps set the championship record in the 100 m freestyle with a time of 48.13. In his final event, Phelps swam in the 4×100 m medley relay with Aaron Peirsol, Mark Gangloff, and Adrian and finished first ahead of Japan and Australia.

2011 World Championships

In his first event at the 2011 World Aquatics Championships in Shanghai, Phelps won bronze in the 4×100 m freestyle relay with Garrett Weber-Gale, Jason Lezak, and Nathan Adrian. This was Phelps' first bronze in a World Aquatics Championships. Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 48.08, the second-best lead-off in the field behind James Magnussen's 47.49. In his second event, the 200 m freestyle, Phelps won silver for the second consecutive time at a World Aquatics Championships. This time he finished second to Ryan Lochte in the event with a time of 1:44.79, compared to Lochte's time of 1:44.44. In his third final, the 200 m butterfly, he won his first gold medal with a time of 1:53.34 to become the first swimmer win five gold medals in one discipline at the World Aquatics Championships. In his fourth event, the 200 m individual medley, Phelps again finished second to Lochte in a personal best of 1:54.16, which was 0.16 behind Lochte who swam a new world record. It was Phelps' 30th medal in the World Aquatics Championships. Shortly after completing the semifinals of the 100 m butterfly, Phelps competed in the 4×200 m freestyle relay with Peter Vanderkaay, Ricky Berens, and Ryan Lochte. Phelps' team won the gold medal in a time of 7:02.67. Phelps swam the lead-off leg in 1:45.53, the third-best leg in the field. In the 100 m butterfly, Phelps won his third consecutive title (also winning in 2007 and 2009) and second individual title of the meet with a time of 50.71. In his last event, the 4×100 m medley relay, Phelps teamed with Nick Thoman, Mark Gangloff, and Nathan Adrian to win gold in a time of 3:32.06. Phelps' butterfly leg of 50.57 was by far the fastest butterfly leg in the field.

2012 Summer Olympics

Phelps has said he will compete at the 2012 Summer Olympics but it would likely be his last Olympics. For the 2012 Olympics, Phelps has stated he will never do eight events again and will try new events. Phelps has said he will for sure drop the 400 m individual medley from his program but his other events are in question. Phelps said, "I keep saying I want to go down and start sprinting, but Bob really isn't so keen on that ... I don't think that's going to happen ... Over the next four years, I'd like to try some different events, maybe not do some of the events I did here."

Physique

A few physical attributes particularly suit Phelps to swimming: his long, thin torso offers low drag; his arms span —disproportionate to his height of —and act as long, propulsive "paddles"; his relatively short legs lower drag, and perhaps add the speed enhancement of a hydrofoil; his size 14 feet provide the effect of flippers; and his hypermobile ankles can extend beyond the ''pointe'' of a ballet dancer, enabling him to whip his feet as if they were fins for maximum thrust through the water.

Allegations of performance enhancing drug use

Throughout the 2008 Olympics, Phelps was questioned by the press if perhaps his feats were "too good to be true", a reference to unsupported rumors that Phelps may be taking performance enhancing drugs. In response, Phelps noted that he had signed up for Project Believe, a project by the United States Anti-Doping Agency in which U.S. Olympians can volunteer to be tested in excess of the World Anti-Doping Agency guidelines. During the Games, Phelps was tested nine times, and passed all of them.

Bob Bowman

Phelps has trained under Bob Bowman since he was 11 years old. Bowman swam for Florida State University from 1983 to 1985. Phelps has said Bowman reminded him of a drill sergeant because of his disciplined and regimented ways. However, Phelps has said, "Training with Bob is the smartest thing I've ever done ... I'm not going to swim for anyone else." After the 2004 Summer Olympics, Bowman was hired as the head coach for the University of Michigan after Jon Urbanchek retired. Phelps joined Bowman at Michigan to train and even took a few classes but did not pursue a degree. After the 2008 Summer Olympics, Bowman returned to Baltimore as CEO at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club. Phelps also returned to Baltimore with Bowman.

Personal life

Bob Bowman described Phelps as "a solitary man" with a "rigid focus" at the pool prior to a race, but afterwards "a man incredibly invested in the success of the people he cares about". "He's unbelievably kind-hearted", recounting Phelps's interaction with young children after practices.

Controversies

In November 2004, at the age of 19, Phelps was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Salisbury, Maryland. He pleaded guilty to driving while impaired the following month and was granted probation before judgment and ordered to serve 18 months' probation, fined $250, obligated to speak to high school students about drinking and driving and had to attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) meeting. Questioned about the incident later that month by Matt Lauer on the ''Today Show'', Phelps said it was an "isolated incident" and that he had "definitely let myself down and my family down ... I think I let a lot of people in the country down."

In early 2009, Phelps admitted to "behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment" following the publication of a photo by the British tabloid, The ''News of the World'', showing him using a bong, a device used for smoking tobacco or marijuana. Following an investigation, the Richland County Sheriff's Department announced on February 16 that Phelps would not be prosecuted in connection with the incident because there was not enough evidence. USA Swimming suspended Phelps from swimming competitively for three months, and Kellogg's announced that it would not renew his endorsement contract.

Relationship with Ian Thorpe

Phelps idolized Australian Ian Thorpe as a teenager, modelling his public image after him. Thorpe initially said it was highly unlikely for Phelps to win eight gold medals at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. His remarks were used by Phelps, who stuck them on his locker as motivation during the Games. Thorpe was in the stands for the men's 4×100 meter medley relay, where Phelps was swimming for his eighth Olympic title. When Phelps and his teammates captured the gold, Thorpe gave a congratulatory kiss to Phelps' mother, then gave a handshake and a hug to congratulate Phelps. Thorpe afterwards said "I'm really proud of him not just because he won eight golds. Rather, it's how much he has grown up and matured into a great human being. Never in my life have I been so happy to have been proved wrong. I enjoyed every moment of it."

Philanthropy

After the 2008 Olympics, Phelps used his $1 million Speedo bonus to set up the Michael Phelps Foundation. His foundation focuses on growing the sport of swimming and promoting healthier lifestyles.

In 2010 the Michael Phelps Foundation, the Michael Phelps Swim School and KidsHealth.Org developed and nationally piloted the im program for Boys & Girls Club members. The im program teaches children the importance of being active and healthy, with a focus on the sport of swimming. It also promotes the value of planning and goal-setting.

Honors and awards

thumb|right|Phelps and Maryland House Speaker [[Michael E. Busch|Mike Busch in April, 2009. Both houses of the Maryland General Assembly honored Phelps that day.]] Phelps was a USA Olympic Team Member in 2000, 2004, and 2008, and holds the records for most Olympic gold-medals (14), most such medals in individual events (9), and most such medals at a single games (8, in Beijing 2008). A street in his hometown of Baltimore was re-named The Michael Phelps Way in 2004. On April 9, 2009 Phelps was invited to appear before the Maryland House of Delegates and the Maryland Senate, to be honored for his Olympic accomplishments. Phelps has also received the following awards:

World Swimmer of the Year Award: 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 American Swimmer of the Year Award: 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 Golden Goggle Male Performance of the Year: 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 Golden Goggle Relay Performance of the Year: 2006, 2007, 2008 Golden Goggle Male Athlete of the Year: 2004, 2007, 2008 USOC SportsMan of the Year Award: 2004, 2008 James E. Sullivan Award: 2003 Laureus World Sports Sportsman of the Year Award (Nominated): 2004, 2005, 2008, 2009 Sports Illustrated Sportsmen of the Year: 2008

World records

With 39 world records (29 individual, 10 relay) as of , Phelps has set more records than any other swimmer, surpassing Mark Spitz's previous record of 33 world records (26 individual, 7 relay). All but two of the records were set in a long course (50 meter) pool; records that currently stand are indicated in bold. Currently, he holds seven world records.

!No.	!Distance	!Event	!Time	!Location	!Date	!Ref
1	200 m		1:54.92	Austin, Texas, US
2	200 m	Butterfly (2)	1:54.58	Fukuoka, Japan
3	400 m		4:11.09	Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, US
4	4×100 m		3:33.48	Yokohama, Japan
5	400 m	Individual medley (2)	4:10.73	Indianapolis, Indiana, US
6	200 m		1:57.94	Santa Clara, California, US
7	200 m	Butterfly (3)	1:53.93	Barcelona, Spain
8	200 m	Individual medley (2)	1:57.52	Barcelona, Spain
9	100 m		0:51.47	Barcelona, Spain
10	200 m	Individual medley (3)	1:56.04	Barcelona, Spain
11	400 m	Individual medley (3)	4:09.09	Barcelona, Spain
12	200 m	Individual medley (4)	1:55.94	College Park, Maryland, US
13	400 m	Individual medley (4)	4:08.41	Long Beach, California, US
14	400 m	Individual medley (5)	4:08.26	Athens, Greece
15	200 m	Butterfly (4)	1:53.80	Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
16	4×100 m		3:12.46	Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
17	200 m	Individual medley (5)	1:55.84	Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
18	200 m	Butterfly (5)	1:53.71	Columbia, Missouri, US
19	200 m		1:43.86	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
20	200 m	Butterfly (6)	1:52.09	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
21	200 m	Individual medley (6)	1:54.98	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
22	4×200 m		7:03.24	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
23	400 m	Individual medley (6)	4:06.22	Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
24	400 m	Individual medley (7)	4:05.25	Omaha, Nebraska, US
25	200 m	Individual medley (7)	1:54.80	Omaha, Nebraska, US
26	400 m	Individual medley (8)	4:03.84	Beijing, China
27	4×100 m	Freestyle relay (2)	3:08.24	Beijing, China
28	200 m	Freestyle (2)	1:42.96	Beijing, China
29	200 m	Butterfly (7)	1:52.03	Beijing, China
30	4×200 m	Freestyle relay (2)	6:58.56	Beijing, China
31	200 m	Individual medley (8)	1:54.23	Beijing, China
32	4×100 m	Medley relay (2)	3:29.34	Beijing, China
33	100 m	Butterfly (2)	0:50.22	Indianapolis, Indiana, US
34	200 m	Butterfly (8)	1:51.51	Rome, Italy
35	4×200 m	Freestyle relay (3)	6:58.55	Rome, Italy
36	100 m	Butterfly (3)	0:49.82	Rome, Italy
37	4×100 m	Medley relay (3)	3:27.28	Rome, Italy
38	4×100 m	Medley relay (sc)	3:20.71	Manchester, United Kingdom
39	4×100 m	Freestyle relay (sc)	3:03.30	Manchester, United Kingdom

: with Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen, and Jason Lezak : with Neil Walker, Cullen Jones, and Jason Lezak : with Ryan Lochte, Klete Keller, and Peter Vanderkaay : with Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones, and Jason Lezak : with Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens, and Peter Vanderkaay : with Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens, and David Walters : with Aaron Peirsol, Eric Shanteau and David Walters : short course record with Nick Thoman, Mark Gangloff and Nathan Adrian : short course record with Nathan Adrian, Matt Grevers and Garrett Weber-Gale

See also

List of multiple Olympic gold medalists

List of multiple Olympic gold medalists at a single Games

List of multiple Olympic medalists

List of multiple Olympic medalists at a single Games

World record progression 100 metres butterfly

World record progression 200 metres butterfly

World record progression 200 metres freestyle

World record progression 200 metres individual medley

World record progression 400 metres individual medley

World record progression 4x100 metres freestyle relay

World record progression 4x200 metres freestyle relay

World record progression 4x100 metres medley relay

Notes

References

External links

USA Swimming athlete bio: Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps Foundation official website

|- Tom Malchow}} |- Tom Dolan}} |- Jani Sievinen}} Ryan Lochte}} |- Andriy Serdinov Ian Crocker Milorad Čavić}} Ian Crocker Milorad ČavićIncumbent}} |- Ian Thorpe}} Paul Biedermann}} |- Ian Thorpe Grant Hackett}} Grant Hackett Ryan Lochte}} |- Category:1985 births Category:American people of Scottish descent Category:American swimmers Category:Male backstroke swimmers Category:Male butterfly swimmers Category:Male freestyle swimmers Category:Male medley swimmers Category:James E. Sullivan Award recipients Category:Living people Category:Michigan Wolverines athletes Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Olympic medalists in swimming Category:Olympic swimmers of the United States Category:People from Baltimore County, Maryland Category:Sportspeople from Baltimore, Maryland Category:Swimmers at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Swimmers at the 2004 Summer Olympics Category:Swimmers at the 2008 Summer Olympics Category:Swimming World American Swimmers of the Year Category:Swimming World World Swimmers of the Year Category:World record holders in swimming

af:Michael Phelps ar:مايكل فيلبس an:Michael Phelps bn:মাইকেল ফেলপস bs:Michael Phelps bg:Майкъл Фелпс ca:Michael Phelps cs:Michael Phelps cy:Michael Phelps da:Michael Phelps de:Michael Phelps et:Michael Phelps el:Μάικλ Φελπς es:Michael Phelps eo:Michael Phelps ext:Michael Phelps eu:Michael Phelps fa:مایکل فلپس fr:Michael Phelps ga:Michael Phelps ko:마이클 펠프스 hi:माइकल फ़ेल्प्स hr:Michael Phelps io:Michael Phelps id:Michael Phelps is:Michael Phelps it:Michael Phelps he:מייקל פלפס kn:ಮೈಕೆಲ್ ಫೆಲ್ಪ್ಸ್ kk:Майкл Фэлпс la:Michael Fred Phelps lv:Maikls Felpss lt:Michael Phelps hu:Michael Phelps ml:മൈക്കൽ ഫെൽപ്സ് mr:मायकल फेल्प्स ms:Michael Phelps mn:Майкл Фелпс nl:Michael Phelps ja:マイケル・フェルプス no:Michael Phelps nn:Michael Phelps oc:Michael Phelps pl:Michael Phelps pt:Michael Phelps ro:Michael Phelps ru:Фелпс, Майкл simple:Michael Phelps sk:Michael Phelps sl:Michael Phelps sr:Мајкл Фелпс sh:Michael Phelps fi:Michael Phelps sv:Michael Phelps tl:Michael Phelps ta:மைக்கல் ஃபெல்ப்ஸ் th:ไมเคิล เฟ็ลปส์ tr:Michael Phelps uk:Майкл Фелпс vi:Michael Phelps wuu:麦伊考 菲尔普斯 zh-yue:菲比斯 zh:迈克尔·菲尔普斯

Name	Mary Lou Retton
Fullname	Mary Lou Retton
Country
Birth date	January 24, 1968
Birth place	Fairmont, West Virginia
Hometown	Fairmont, West Virginia
Height
Discipline	WAG
Natlteam	USA
Show-medals	yes
Medaltemplates	}}

Mary Lou Retton (born January 24, 1968) is an Italian-American gymnast and Olympic gold medalist. She was the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the Olympic all-around title, after 14 Eastern Bloc countries boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

Personal life

Retton was born in Fairmont, West Virginia of Italian heritage (her family's original surname was "Rotunda"). Her father, Ronnie, operated a coal-industry transportation equipment business. She attended Fairmont Senior High School, but did not graduate. She competed in the Olympic games during her sophomore year.

Retton lived in Houston, Texas until 2009, when her family returned to West Virginia. She is married to former Houston real estate developer Shannon Kelley, who now works for the Fairmont State University athletic department. Together they have four daughters: Shayla Rae Kelley (born 1995), McKenna Lane Kelley (born 1997), Skyla Brae Kelley (born 2000), and Emma Jean Kelley (born 2002).

Gymnastics career

Inspired by watching Nadia Comăneci on television, Retton took up gymnastics in her hometown of Fairmont. She was coached by Gary Rafaloski. She then decided to move to Houston, Texas, to train under Romanians Béla and Márta Károlyi, who had coached Nadia Comăneci before their defection to the United States. Under the Károlyis, Retton soon began to make a name for herself in the United States, winning the American Cup in 1983 and placing second to Dianne Durham (another Károlyi student) at the US Nationals that same year. Retton missed the World Championships in 1983 due to a wrist injury. Nevertheless, Retton won the American Classic in 1983 and 1984, as well as Japan's Chunichi Cup in 1983.

After winning her second American Cup, the US Nationals, and the US Olympic Trials in 1984, Retton suffered a knee injury when she was performing a floor routine at a local gymnastics center. She had sat down to sign autographs when she felt her knee lock, forcing her to undergo an operation. She recovered just in time for the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. In the competition, which was boycotted by the Soviet bloc nations except for Romania, Retton engaged in a close battle with Ecaterina Szabó of Romania for the all-around title. Trailing Szabó (after bars and beam) being 15 hundredths behind, with two events to go, Retton scored perfect 10s on floor exercise and vault to win the all-around title by 0.05 points.

At the same Olympics, Retton won four additional medals: silver in the team competition and the horse vault, and bronze in the floor exercise and uneven bars. For her performance, she was named ''Sports Illustrated'' magazine's "Sportswoman of the Year". She appeared on a Wheaties box, and became the cereal's first official spokeswoman.

Post-Gymnastics Career

A devout Baptist and an ardent Christian conservative, she was an outspoken supporter of the Reagan Administration in the United States. She appeared in a variety of televised ads supporting Ronald Reagan. Retton delivered the Pledge of Allegiance with fellow former gymnast and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kerri Strug on the second night of the 2004 Republican National Convention.

Retton's hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia named a road and park in the town after her. She retired from gymnastics after winning an unprecedented third American Cup title in 1985. She later had cameo appearances as herself in ''Scrooged'' and ''Naked Gun 33⅓: The Final Insult''.

During the 1990s, Retton worked as a spokeswoman for the U.S. drugstore chain Revco. Retton was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

In 1993 the Associated Press released results of a sports study in which Retton was statistically tied for first place with fellow Olympian Dorothy Hamill as the most popular athlete in America.

In 1997, Retton was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Retton has many commercial endorsements, including the first appearance by a female on a Wheaties box. She is currently falling out of a piñata in a Dairy Queen commercial. She is also a frequent analyst for televised gymnastics and attended The University of Texas at Austin after the Olympics.'

TV appearances

In 1985 Retton hosted ''ABC Funfit'', a series of five-minute segments on physical fitness which were broadcast between Saturday morning cartoons. A record album and diagram booklet was also made of the segments and sold.

In 1993, Retton appeared in the "Baywatch" episode "The Child Inside".

In 2002, Retton starred in the television program ''Mary Lou's Flip Flop Shop''.

In the Fox TV show ''Glee'', Retton is said to be Sue Sylvester's "worst enemy".

In the summer of 2011, Retton appeared in a commercial for Dairy Queen, in which she falls out of a piñata.

She is also featured in the song "Somersault" by Zero 7 feat. Viktor Vaughn (MF DOOM)

Medical conditions and endorsements

Retton was born with hip dysplasia, a condition aggravated by her years as a competitive gymnast. After experiencing increased pain she had hip replacement surgery on her left hip in her mid-30s. Retton also suffered from incontinence due to an overactive bladder, arthritis and hemorrhoids. She serves as a paid spokesperson for Biomet and for Pfizer to publicize treatment for these conditions. In October 2008, she visited the Biomet facility in Warsaw, Indiana and met the machinists who produced her hip implant.

Gymnastics legacy

Retton has an uneven bars move called "The Retton Flip", a transition (front flip) from low- to high-bar, resulting in the gymnast perched or "sitting" on top of the high bar. This move and many others like it are no longer in the Code of Points due to belly beating no longer in use on bars.

See also

References

External links

Official website

Where Are They Now?: Mary Lou Retton Photos & Info

Mary Lou Retton's U.S. Olympic Team bio

List of competitive results at Gymn Forum

Mary Lou Retton 2007 Interview with Bela Karolyi on ''Sidewalks Entertainment''

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:American female artistic gymnasts Category:Gymnasts at the 1984 Summer Olympics Category:American people of Italian descent Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States Category:Olympic gymnasts of the United States Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States Category:Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics Category:People from Fairmont, West Virginia Category:University of Texas at Austin alumni Category:Olympic medalists in gymnastics

de:Mary Lou Retton es:Mary Lou Retton fa:ماری لو رتون fr:Mary Lou Retton it:Mary Lou Retton he:מרי לו רטון ja:メアリー・ルー・レットン no:Mary Lou Retton pt:Mary Lou Retton ru:Реттон, Мэри Лу simple:Mary Lou Retton fi:Mary Lou Retton

name	Mary Lou
birth date	March 15, 1992
birth place	California, U.S.
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	2003–present
notable role	Mary Ferry - ''Unfabulous'' }}

Mary Lou (born March 15, 1992) is an American actress. She is known for playing Mary Ferry on the Nickelodeon television series ''Unfabulous''.

Career

At age 8, she chose to pursue a career in television and film.

Mary Lou’s show business career started at age six when she entertained as a member of Singing Solo (a children's singing group located in La Mesa, CA) at a local street fair with a rendition of ''The Good Ship Lollipop''. After this performance, she chose acting as her career. Over the next few years, Lou went on to sing at over two dozen venues throughout Southern California, Texas and Tennessee, winning multiple local, state, regional, national and world championship titles.

Mary Lou also filmed a guest-starring role on ''Phil of the Future'', as a math-nerd named Alex, in ''Good Phil Hunting''. Mary also appeared on ''Future Girls: Adventures in Marine Biology'' and ''Bad Mother's Handbook'' and guest starred on ''What should you do?''. More recently Mary was on Glee. She continues to audition daily for feature films, television and voiceover.

Personal life

She is the cousin of actress Danneel Harris. Mary Lou was born in California.

Today, Mary Lou is a featured artist at charity events with her live country-western show.

Filmography

''Unfabulous'' ''Phil of the Future'' ''Future Girls: Adventures in Marine Biology'' ''Bad Mother's Handbook'' ''Glee (TV series) ''Jesus Awakens the Little Girl''

Year	! Film	! Role	! Notes
2003	''What should you do?''	Katie Oren
2004	|	Mary Ferry	30 episodes, 2004-2007Young Artist Award for Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series for:"Unfabulous"
2005	|	Alex	1 episode
2006	|	Lisa
rowspan=2	2008	|	Teenage Nan
''Being Bailey''	Rachel
2009	Glee''||	1970s Glee Club singer /dancer	Episode: "Pilot" (uncredited)
2010	|	Gertrude	Short Film

External links

''Unfabulous'' Official Site

Category:1992 births Category:American child actors Category:American film actors Category:American television actors Category:Living people Category:Actors from California

pl:Mary Lou

name	Harry Enfield
birth date	May 30, 1961
birth place	Horsham, West Sussex, England
nationality	British
active	1984–present
genre	Sketch shows
influences	Paul Whitehouse, Dick Emery
influenced	Kathy Burke }}

Henry Richard "Harry" Enfield (born 30 May 1961 in Horsham, West Sussex, England) is a BAFTA winning English comedian, actor and writer and director.

Early life

Enfield is the oldest of three children, the son of English television, radio and newspaper journalist and presenter Edward Enfield. He has two sisters, Elizabeth (born 1966) and Lucy Katherine (born 1969). He was educated at the independent Arundale School in Pulborough, Dorset House School, Worth School, Collyer's Sixth Form College and the University of York, where he was a member of Derwent College and read politics. He worked for a while as a milkman.

Career

Enfield first came to public attention when appearing on Channel 4's ''Saturday Live'' as a number of different characters created with Paul Whitehouse. These quickly entered the national consciousness. Among these characters were Stavros, a Greek restaurant owner with markedly fractured English; and Loadsamoney, an obnoxious character who constantly boasted about how much money he earned. Loadsamoney spawned a hit single in 1988 and a sell-out live tour. As a foil to Loadsamoney Enfield and Whitehouse created the Geordie "Bugger-All-Money" and in 1988 Enfield appeared as both characters during the Nelson Mandela Birthday Tribute Concert at Wembley Stadium. In time Whitehouse and Enfield became disturbed that Loadsamoney was being seen in a positive light, rather than as a satirical figure, and they had him run over during a Comic Relief Red Nose Day show while leaving the studio after presenting host Lenny Henry with "the biggest cheque of the night"—a physically huge cheque for ten pence.

In 1989 Enfield realised a personal project, ''Norbert Smith - a Life'', a spoof on British theatrical knights slumming in the film industry. He also provided voices for the British satirical puppet show ''Spitting Image''.

TV series

In 1990 Enfield developed his BBC sketch show, ''Harry Enfield's Television Programme'', later called ''Harry Enfield and Chums'', with Whitehouse and Kathy Burke. Eschewing the alternative comedy style prevalent at the time, both versions of the show were indebted to early '70s comedians such as Dick Emery and Morecambe and Wise. Enfield and his co-performers created another group of nationally recognised characters for these shows, such as ''Stan and Pam Herbert'', who use the catchphrase "We are considerably richer than you" (in an exaggerated West-Midlands accent), ''Tim Nice-But-Dim'', ''The Scousers'', ''Smashie and Nicey, Wayne and Waynetta Slob, Annoying Kid Brother'', who grew into ''Kevin the Teenager'', and two old-fashioned BBC presenters, ''Mr Cholmondley-Warner and Grayson''.

In 1991, Enfield played Dermot in the sitcom ''Men Behaving Badly'' along with Martin Clunes, Caroline Quentin and Leslie Ash, originally on Thames Television. Enfield left after the first series, and was replaced in the second series by Neil Morrissey as Tony. Enfield is a professed fan of opera and fronted a Channel 4 documentary series on the subject.

After a short break from television Enfield signed a new contract with BSkyB, but produced only one series, ''Harry Enfield's Brand Spanking New Show''. In 2002 Enfield returned to the BBC with ''Celeb'', a new series based on the comic strip of the same title in ''Private Eye'', as the ageing rockstar Gary Bloke.

In 2002 Enfield was the first guest on the revamped version of BBC's ''Top Gear'' and also appeared on the show on 23 November 2008. Enfield has also narrated various TV documentaries such as the Discovery Wings channel "Classic British Aircraft".

In 2007, he played Jim Stonem in the Channel 4 series ''Skins''. He reprised this role in the second series in 2008, and the third series in 2009.

He appears often on mainstream television shows. His current comedy series ''Harry & Paul'' (originally titled ''Ruddy Hell! It's Harry & Paul'') started in 2008.

Films

In 2000 Enfield appeared in his first leading film role playing Kevin alongside Kathy Burke, who played the character's (male) friend Perry—roles originally created for Enfield's television series—in ''Kevin & Perry Go Large''. The film charted the pair's attempt to become professional DJs by travelling to the nightclubs of Ibiza and pestering their idol, the DJ Eyeball Paul, played by Rhys Ifans, while gaining love and losing their virginity. Enfield also appeared as King George VI in ''Churchill: The Hollywood Years'' (2004), a satire on Hollywood's tendency to change elements of history.

Commercials

Enfield appeared in some television commercials before becoming famous, including one made in 1987 for Heineken. Enfield's most memorable commercials include a series made in 1996 for Dime Bar. One commercial in this series had Enfield as a yokel refusing a Dime bar—smooth on the outside, crunchy on the inside—because he preferred armadillos—smooth on the inside, crunchy on the outside. Later Enfield, with Paul Whitehouse, starred in a series of commercials for Hula Hoops as The Self-Righteous Brothers, characters from Enfield's television show . In 2004 Enfield starred in a series of commercials for Burger King in the U.S. as Dr. Angus, a character intended to promote the company's newest hamburger. Two more characters from Enfield's TV series, Mr Cholmondley-Warner and Grayson, also appeared in commercials, for Mercury Communications. Also in 2004 Enfield provided the voice of "The Roaming Gnome" character used in Travelocity's U.S. advertising campaign.

Personal life

For several years, Enfield was in a relationship with Alison Owen, the mother of Alfie and Lily Allen. They lived together for three years and he helped look after the children. They intended to get married but separated in 1995. He previously dated producer Debbie Vertue (daughter of Beryl Vertue and sister of Sue Vertue).

In 1997 Enfield married Lucy Lyster and they have one son, Archie Edward Enfield (born 1997) and two daughters, Poppy Sophia (born 1999) and Nell Florence Enfield (born 2003).

Enfield went to school with Simon Nye, who later wrote ''Men Behaving Badly''.

References

External links

Category:1961 births Category:Living people Category:English comedians Category:English television actors Category:English television writers Category:People from Horsham Category:Alumni of the University of York Category:Old Collyerians Category:People educated at Worth School

fr:Harry Enfield pl:Harry Enfield fi:Harry Enfield