He’s my favourite Olympian. A fascinating man not only because of his beauty:

He has come a long way from the days when he was bullied endlessly about his oversized ears and lisp.

American swimmer Michael Phelps, who today collected his third gold medal in as many days, was also diagnosed as a child with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, which ended up being a blessing in disguise.

He was prescribed the drug Ritalin and took to swimming, partly because both his sisters were accomplished in the pool, but also to find an outlet for his hyperactivity.

His mother Debbie said: “He never sat still. He never shut up; he would never stop asking questions. He just wanted to go from one thing to another.”

Phelps’ win in the 200 metres freestyle event means he has the joint highest ever number of gold medals, with nine over two games. But the 23-year-old from Baltimore has not finished. He has a chance at collecting five more this week and beating Mark Spitz’s 36-year-old record of seven golds in a single Olympics.