I’ve been away on vacation and only started watching the Olympics yesterday, but I didn’t miss a wonderful interview with Michael Phelps and his mother done by David Costas. Michael won 8 gold medals in swimming at the Beijing Olympics – a new world record, bringing his career total to 14 Olympic medals. This is the single greatest Olympic performance in history.

So besides his incredible talent as a swimmer, what is so special about this young man who appears somewhat oblivious and a tad uninterested in his new stardom? Well, Michael Phelps was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD) as a child, a disorder frequently accompanied by multiple challenges and hardships, particularly in school. According to his mother, swimming was a great outlet for his energy, and she made the effort to get him to swimming and keep him involved in it.