The Olympic legend Michael Phelps, known for his extraordinary accomplishments, never ceases to wow fans with his combination of personal charisma and physical brilliance.
A remarkable 28 Olympic medals, including an unparalleled 23 golds, have cemented Phelps’s place among the greatest sportsmen of all time.
Phelps, who was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on June 30, 1985, began swimming at a young age and went on to become a worldwide sports superstar. His outstanding Olympic accomplishments have established him as a champion of the highest order.
Whenever someone is discussing who the best Olympian of all time is, people like Usain Bolt, Carl Lewis, and Nadia Comaneci are usually mentioned.
But Michael Phelps is unrivaled in terms of the sheer quantity of medals. His twenty-three gold medals exceed the amount of the majority of Olympians, including some accomplished swimmers.
Other than the likes of Jenny Thompson, Matt Biondi, and Mark Spitz, no swimmer has ever achieved the historic number of gold medals that Michael Phelps has.
Beyond his in-pool accomplishments, Phelps has won love and respect from people all across the world. Devoted followers have flooded his Instagram with comments, referring to him as their “idol” and “legend.” Some have even confessed to having a “crush” or being “obsessed” with him.
Even though Phelps has had a fantastic sporting career, the public is also fascinated by his personal life. Upon accepting his awards for Best Record-Breaking Performance and Best Male U.S. Olympic Athlete at the ESPY Awards, Michael Phelps conveyed his happiness in commemorating these events with his family. He has a special place in his heart for the ESPY Awards because he met his wife, Nicole Johnson, there more than ten years ago.
Nicole Johnson is not just gorgeous; she has been a staunch advocate for Michael Phelps. She has demonstrated her dedication to their shared objectives by actively participating as an Ambassador for the Michael Phelps Foundation since 2015.
Johnson has a history in modeling and beauty pageants, and VC Star lists Miss California USA as one of her accomplishments in 2010. In addition, she placed second in the Miss California National Teenager competition in 2004 and placed in the top 15 during her debut compete at Miss California USA in 2006.
Viewers have observed Johnson’s grace in the pictures Phelps posts on social media. She is regularly praised by admirers who call her “cute,” “pretty,” and “absolutely beautiful.” Fans admire the couple for their close bond and remarkable appearances; they value their bond just as much as Phelps’s sporting achievements.
Nicole Johnson is an important source of support for Michael Phelps despite his outward look. She helps him deal with his worry and melancholy. Phelps has been open about his struggles with mental health and frequently gives his wife credit for her unwavering support.
Nobody else could provide me with the kind of support that she has. In an interview with Today, Phelps said, “She’s the glue that holds all of us together.”
Phelps and Johnson are parenting Boomer, Beckett, Maverick, and Nico, their newest kid, together.
‘DWTS’ star, mocked as orphan for spotty skin, dies at 29, – adoptive mom dies next day
The ballet world is mourning the death of Dancing with the Stars’ Michaela Mabinty DePrince, an inspirational ballerina who beat staggering odds to become one of the world’s most famous dancers.
Michaela, an orphan from war-torn Sierra Leone, was a dancer with the Boston Ballet who gained widespread notoriety after starring in the 2011 documentary First Position. She died September 10 at only 29.
Adding to the family’s tragic loss, Michaela’s adoptive mom – who rescued Michaela from the filthy shelter where she was told she was “too ugly” to find a family – died only 24 hours later.
After her father was brutally killed in war-torn Sierra Leone and her mother died from fever, four-year-old Michaela Mabinty DePrince was abandoned by her uncle in a shelter where staff every day tried to break her spirit.
Known then as “Number 27” a young Michaela had little hope of finding a family as she had vitiligo, a condition that causes patches of skin to lose pigmentation.
The young girl, called “the devil child” because of her patchy skin, was told repeatedly that she was too ugly to be picked.
“We were all ranked from the most favored to the least, and I was at the very bottom for being rebellious and having a skin condition called vitiligo, which produces white freckles on my neck and chest,” Michaela said, adding she slept on a grass sleeping mat with “Number 26.”
Aside from the vomit-stained nightgown she was wearing, all she had was a magazine, which according to Glamour had (literally) blown onto her face. And on the cover was a ballerina en pointe – a dancer supporting all her body weight on the tips of her toes.
“The dancer looked beautiful and happy, that’s what caught my eye,” Michaela tells Glamour. “I wanted to be happy.”
And the crumpled old photo of the ballerina was the first thing she handed Elaine DePrince, who took her to her new home in New Jersey.
“There was so much love right away,” said Michaela, who over the next two decades would be the prima ballerina on the cover of magazines. “I had never been surrounded by something like that.”
‘My life is proof’
Michaela’s passion for dancing was ignited at a young age, and she pursued her dreams with remarkable dedication.
In 2011, Michaela became one of the stars of First Position, a documentary that followed six gifted dancers leading up to the competition for a place in the prestigious American Ballet Theatre’s Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis School of Ballet (JKO)
She not only earned a spot but was also awarded a scholarship to study at JKO.
The same year the award-winning documentary was released, Michaela also appeared on Dancing with the Stars.
“My life is proof that no matter what situation you’re in, as long as you have a supportive family, you can achieve anything,” Michaela said.
In 2012, the talented ballerina joined the renowned Dance Theatre of Harlem, where she continued to shine as a rising star. Her exceptional talent and grace later led her to the Dutch National Ballet, where the War Child Ambassador further established herself as a formidable presence in the ballet world.
While she was living in Amsterdam and training for The Nutcracker, she received a call, inviting her to travel to New Orleans and dance in Beyonce’s hour-long video, Lemonade, which was released in 2016.
Speaking with the Wall Street Journal of meeting the pop sensation, Michaela said, “She walked up to me and said, ‘It’s such an honor to have you here.’ I was really cheesy and said, ‘The honor is mine.’ I was on cloud nine.”
‘Beacon of hope’
On September 10, her family released a heartbreaking message about the principal soloist with the Boston Ballet.
“Rest in Power,” the post starts about the dancer who died on September 10. “With pain in our hearts, we share the loss of star ballerina Michaela Mabinty DePrince, whose artistry touched countless hearts and whose spirit inspired many, leaving an indelible mark on the world of ballet, and beyond.”
The Facebook post describes Michaela as an inspiration who “stood as a beacon of hope for many, showing that no matter the obstacles, beauty and greatness can rise from the darkest of places.”
The cause of her death has not yet been released.
Mom ‘spared the pain’
Only 24 hours after Michaela’s sudden death, her doting adoptive mom Elaine DePrince died on September 11 “during a routine procedure in preparation for a surgery.”
A family statement on Facebook explains that at the time of Elaine’s death, she was unaware that her daughter had died.
“As unbelievable as it may seem, the two deaths were completely unrelated. The only way we can make sense of the senseless is that Elaine, who had already lost three children many years ago, was by the grace of God spared the pain of experiencing the loss of a fourth child.” The message continues, “What the family is going through right now is truly unimaginably painful. Grieving two family members who died within a 24-hour period is tragic and devastating. We continue to ask for privacy…”
Rest in peace Michaela and Elaine. Please share your thoughts with us and then share this story so we can all send a lot of love to the family and friends of this mother-daughter duo.
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