Michael Phelps

200 Butterfly race for a gold medalHuffington PostMost decorated Olympian of all time.Sports IllustratedMichael Phelps is a swimmer who has revolutionized the way we look at swimming.¨In 2008 he broke multiple records at such a young age, in fact he was the youngest athlete to break as many records as he did¨(Christolon). When he was 15 he qualified for the Olympics making him the youngest athlete in the games. ¨He lived in the Baltimore suburb of Towson and was raised there. He started swimming lessons there after his mom relocated herself and her three kids¨(Michael Phelps). Michael Phelps is a hero to many people due to his incredible humanitarian efforts, and his hardworking personality.

Michael Phelps demonstrates his humanitarian efforts through his life by giving back to people in need, and people who have limitations because of their financial situation. He has always been a generous person and never really was one of those people who spent money as fast as he could make it, so when an opportunity came his way ¨He Capitalized on his 2008 Beijing Speedo bonus of $1 million, so Phelps set up a Michael Phelps Foundation, which aimed to increase the awareness of swimming as a sporting activity and focussed on promoting healthy lifestyle¨(Michael Phelps Biography). The fact that he used the money to start a non profit shows how he could have easily spent all of it on his own family but chose to use it on people in need. People who really needed it and now because of that organization hundreds of kids are doing things that their parents probably thought they would never be able to do because they simply had no extra money to spend on fun activities such as swimming. When the author states that he gained a big bonus from his accomplishments he chose to use that money to benefit others and not himself in a materialistic way, but it probably helped him make himself feel better knowing he's helping hundreds of children. Michael Phelps battled many things in his life, some big things being extreme ADHD and severe depression. His problems have caused him to contemplate suicide, but he tried to direct his thought into helping others. Phelps states, "Those moments and those feelings and those emotions for me are light years better than ever winning an Olympic gold medal. You have the chance to save a life, and that's way more powerful”(CBS,Phelps). When he says that helping people is better than winning a medal he is showing that he genuinely cares about other people and he does not want them to fall in the same spot that he did; contemplating suicide. He explained how he actually enjoys helping people, so much so that he never wants to see people go where he did. Michael Phelps influences everyone that hears his story. He goes out of his way to help people in need, to help people that are suffering, and to help people deal with their issues so they don't end up like he was.

Michael Phelps losing a raceWashington Post Michael Phelps is an extremely hard working athlete. He is the most decorated Olympian of all time, and he has been breaking world records since he was 15 years old. Phelps inspires many people through his charisma and his determination, and he demonstrates this through his past actions; “Michael’s competitive fire burned intensely. He hated to lose, and reacted angrily on the odd occasions when he did. Once Michael flung his goggles away in disgust after finishing behind a swimmer of the same age.”(EBSCO) this “fire” that the database talked about is his determination to win and his hard working character, proving that he must go through rigorous training to be so mad that he throws his goggles. The article explains how he is extremely competitive, and some people can be competitive but do nothing about it, but Phelps worked so hard to act on that competitiveness and become the best at swimming. Phelps talks about his hard work through training and developing over time as he swam more; “I had someone to encourage me, who understood the importance of water safety, I developed a comfort level for the water. The more time I spent in the water, the stronger I became, and my passion for the sport grew. Swimming provided the opportunity to stay healthy while I learned about hard work, determination, and setting goals”(Phelps). When he talks about how he developed a comfort level in the pool, he is saying that when you do something at first it will sometimes not go so well, but you have to keep trying and you have to keep doing it more to conquer the obstacle that you're facing. Phelps is saying that you have to work hard like he did to overcome the first step of not being good at swimming, but then he kept working hard to overcome that bad state and to shatter so many records. Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time. This achievement was not given to him, he had to work extremely hard to earn that title.

Michael Phelps is seen as a hero to many people because of his humanitarian works and his hard working charisma. He created his own non profit organization after receiving a massive check from his sponsor, and he fell into a dark place contemplating suicide at one point. He managed to find a way out of that by realizing others were in his same situation and he helped those that needed it by relating to them. Michael Phelps started at nothing, just like everyone else. He had to work his way all the way to the level he is at today. This took such hard work and determination to become the best, he became the youngest athlete to ever qualify for the Olympics. He inspires people to work hard, to follow their passion, and to become the best at any task at hand.  Michael Phelps is a hero. He shows many traits that heroes possess, but he really pronounces being a humanitarian and an extremely hard worker.

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