“Oh My God! I Touched Him”: Michael Phelps Was Already a Celebrity in School Even Before He Won His First Olympic Gold

Michael Phelps is a legendary swimmer. Furthermore, he is the greatest of all time. Subsequently, his records and medals are proof of this living legend’s achievements. He has won 28 medals in the Olympics in his career. Out of them, 23 are gold, three silver, and two bronze.

Phelps had the best outing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, where he created seven world records and won eight gold medals. He won gold in every category he was a part of and became the first one to do so.

Michael Phelps was a celebrity before even winning an Olympic medal

Michael Phelps was just 15 when he participated in his first Olympics in the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Although he managed to secure the fifth position in the final event, he had a learning experience there. Even though he didn’t manage to win a medal, he became a celebrity at the mere age of 15 in his school.

As his friend from middle school, Molly Baldwin, says, by the time Phelps graduated middle school, the aspiring Olympic athlete had developed his personality. In her opinion, “Phelps stayed true to his character, but also was not as shy as he used to be”. 

Seeing Phelps in the school halls became a big deal

After the Sydney Olympics in 2000, seeing Phelps in the hallway or swimming pool became a big thing for the other students at school. Molly Baldwin stated, “girls were swirling all around him”, and she also remembers one fellow student exclaiming, “Oh my God! I touched him!”.

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It was just the beginning of the popularity the swimming legend was going to achieve in the future. Likewise, it became evident later when Phelps’ career took off from his first outing.

Michael Phelps opened his medal account with a gold medal in the 400m individual medley and ended up with five golds and two bronze that year. After that outing in 2004, there was no looking back for the G.O.A.T.

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The popularity began from a young age in a small school and further reached the corners of the world. The legend became an inspiration to the generation. Moreover, he repeatedly outplayed himself and kept improving his performance throughout his career. He also outplayed every new competition he received. When do you think his records made in the 2008 Olympics will get recreated by someone else?