When Michael Phelps broke his own world record on the way to his sixth gold medal of the Beijing Olympics Friday, his mother was nearby -- as she almost always is.
The celebration after the Baltimore Bullet won his sixth medal was somewhat muted after a week of almost routine victories. Phelps is only two gold medals away from breaking the record of seven golds in a single Olympics set by Mark Spitz.
Phelps has become such a phenomenon that no detail of his life is ignored. His accomplishments have brought his family into the spotlight as well.
US swimmer Michael Phelps kisses his mother Debbie after the medal ceremony for the men's 4 x 200m freestyle relay swimming final at the National Aquatics Center during the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games in Beijing on August 13, 2008. [Agencies] |
This is not the first time his mother Deborah Phelps, a teacher and now an administrator, has faced the media. She has been in the background of Phelps astounding career since the 2000 Olympics, when her third child made his Olympic debut.
Many of the stories are about a younger Phelps and her efforts to get him through attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), with which he was diagnosed as a child.
There were years when Ms Phelps would hear his teachers constantly saying things like: "Your son will never be able to focus on anything."
Ms Phelps dismisses any talk about the secret of her success in turning the young ADHD sufferer into a multi-world-record breaking champion.
"I'm the parent, not the coach or the agent or whatever there is to be."
That means being "a supportive listener, not a coach or decision-maker".
Ms Phelps recalled once when Phelps decided not to take medication for his hyperactivity.
"I was always stern as a parent," she said, "but from Day 1, I included my children as part of the decision process. So I listened." After consulting with their family doctor, Phelps stopped medication.
"I've been there not to dictate or guide. I'm there to listen to what he wants to do and try to help him solve problems and make a wise decision," Ms Phelps told ABC News.
On the other hand, upon Phelps' return to Baltimore and a parade in his honor after the Athens Olympics, his mother was less than pleased when he threw his T-shirt into the crowd. She scolded him for acting cocky.
When Phelps was interviewed after being arrested for driving under influence of alcohol and the reporter asked him what the worst part of that was.
He said: "Having to look at my mother's face knowing I had let her down."
When he received his second gold medal the other day, Michael went directly to the stands and gave his mother the winner's bouquet of flowers and a warm hug.
Despite being nearby, Ms Phelps stays away from any speculation about whether her son will break Mark Spitz's medal record.
"I don't get caught up in the four, six, eight," she said. "Whatever the number might be, I just know I'm here to support Michael in every swim he takes."
Agencies