Im 15, is it to late to train to someday be like Michael Phelps?

Question

Ive taken allot of interest in competitive swimming, Iam the kind of guy that wants to be number 1 everything I do. Iam 15 years old about to be 16 Iam 5"4 and weigh 110 Ib, do you have to be tall to start a swimming career? I know michael phelps is 6"4 so this is why I ask.

Answer 1

all i got to say is goodluck

Answer 2

well Phelps started his first olympics at age 15, so ya it's impossible, but practice. Join a swim team if ur interested

Answer 3

i think....

Answer 4

uhhh, well, you are a little short (I am too, but I don't want to be a swimmer), and he did start much earlier...

Let me just say that NO SWIMMER, even the ones at the olympics right now, are EVER going to "someday be like Michael Phelps". It's just not going to happen.

But you never know unless you try!

GO FOR IT!

Answer 5

Roland Schoeman started swimming competitively at 16 and at 24 swam the anchor leg in the 4 x 100 freestyle final in Athens 2004. The South African team won gold and broke the world record, Michael Phelps and the US team got bronze. So, if you start now and run into the next Michael Phelps before he peaks, you might just pull it off.

BTW Schoeman also hold the WR in the 50m butterfly.

Answer 6

It's not too late, but it's not too early either. Get of the computer and get to work!!!

Answer 7

Yeah, its impossible....

The Chinese were beaten and threatened from birth...

Answer 8

Let me start off by saying that Michael Phelps in the best swimmer in history... its very unlikely that ANYONE will ever be better than him in our lifetime!

Second... its never too late to do anything!

Swimming is a sport, where, quite frankly... height doesnt count for anything. However, being limber (which appear to be) does. For example, if you put a football player in the deep end... they would most likely sink because their muscle mass is so much of their body. Check out Phelps. He is toned, but not built.

The thing you need to do right now is find a team to join. Maybe your high school has one... most cities also have them (USA swimming correlated). You can communicate with the coaches that you are a beginner (but have great motivation). They will train you and see what you can do.

Last words of advice: Be the frist in, the last out during practice.

Answer 9

Tom,

So you wanna be like Mike huh?

You'll be a bit behind the others if you're starting at age 15 but it's definitely not too late.

I started at age 11 and got spanked by the competition early on...but it was a lot of fun "climbing the ladder" as I caught up to the competition one by one over the years until I set my first National Record my junior year in High School.

Many swimmers are now continuing there careers well into their 20's and Jason Lezek (anchor on the US 4x100 free relay last night) is 32 years old. I know a friend that almost qualified for the Olympic Trials this past year at the age of 44. (Look at Dara Torres)

However, this is unusual so I'd suggest starting now because the longer you wait the lower the probability of making the Olympics.

But no matter what your age when you start you the commitment level is extremely high to be successful enough to make it to the Olympics.