Michael Phelps of the United States swims on his way to setting a world record to win the men's 200-meter butterfly during the swimming competitions in the National Aquatics Center at the Beijing 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Swimming sensation Michael Phelps, who won a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics last summer, will be the keynote speaker May 18 at the annual Best of Preps Banquet.

Phelps has amassed 14 career gold medals, the most of any Olympian, but made additional headlines Feb. 1 when a British newspaper ran a photo of him inhaling from a marijuana pipe. USA Swimming suspended him for three months, and his appearance at the Chattanooga Convention Center will occur right after his return to competition at the Charlotte UltraSwim meet.

Baylor School swimming coach Dan Flack believes Phelps, who has since admitted his actions were “stupid,” can overcome his public stumble.

“America loves a good comeback story,” he said. “It’s almost the American thing to do — build someone up, watch him fall and then watch him do the comeback. He’s going to have to do a lot of work and be the one who has to look in the eyes of little kids and their parents and give them a reason to put trust in him.”

The Times Free Press Best of Preps event honors the area’s top athletes and coaches in 14 sports. Three Scrappy Moore awards for the top overall male and female athletes and overall coach of the year also are presented.

Flack, whose Aqua Raiders were ranked No. 1 nationally last year among independent schools by Swimming World magazine, believes his swimmers will be excited to hear Phelps, who has 32 career world records.

“In the pool, he’s still a rock star to them all,” Flack said. “He has such a profound influence in the sport that they take very, very seriously.”

Baylor senior Greg Roop said reaction among teammates to the Phelps photo, which was taken at a University of South Carolina party last November, ranged from disgust to those who “laughed it off.”

Phelps has endured other ups and downs in his swimming career. He won six gold and two bronze medals at the Athens Olympics in 2004 but had a DUI arrest later that year.

After he admitted to the marijuana blunder, snack and cereal giant Kellogg’s did not renew its sponsorship of Phelps, and a Canadian promoter nixed him from scheduled speaking engagements early last month in Calgary and Vancouver.

Still, the 23-year-old Phelps, who has been setting world records since he was 15, has an enviable work ethic that has gained him admiration from nearly everyone in the sport. That hasn’t changed, nor has his reputation for being friendly to his many admirers.

“He’s basically been the top dog for as long as I can remember,” Roop said. “I’ve met him a couple of times at meets, and he was very kind. I’m sure people go up to him all the time and do what I did, but he was very kind and gave me his autograph and shook my hand.”

McCallie coach Stan Corcoran hopes Phelps will have a lasting impact that is positive. He said swimming used to be an every-four-year sport that people talked about for two weeks but that Phelps is changing that.

NBC is televising the World Championships each of the next three years, beginning this summer in Italy.

“He’s getting swimming in the limelight every year now,” Corcoran said.