1. formidable butterfly, also specializes in individual medleys and the 100 and 200-meter freestyle.
2. was born in Towson, Maryland on June 30, 1985
3. youngest male Olympian the United States had presented in nearly 70 years
   1. at 15
4. broke his first world record in the same event in which he had competed at the Sydney Games, the 200-meter fly
5. eight of his 18 gold medals were won at the 2008 Beijing Olympics
   1. where Phelps took Spitz’s record
6. 2009 AND 2011 FINA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS
   1. returned from Rome with a total of six international meet medals
   2. gathered four gold medals, including his fifth 200-meter butterfly championship
7. 2012 OLYMPIC GAMES
   1. finished out the meet with another six medals, for a total of 22 Olympic medals
8. RETIREMENT & THE RETURN
9. finished first in 1:54.84 at the men’s 200-meter butterfly at U.S. Olympic trials
   1. securing his roster spot for the Rio Games.
10. Tom Shields finished second; the top two finishers in each individual event automatically qualify for the 2016 Olympics.