Michael Phelps has been crowned Male Athlete of the Year for a fifth time at the 2014 USA Swimming Golden Goggle Awards despite being suspended from competition for six months after a drunken driving arrest in September. Phelps was not at the New York ceremony where Keenan Robinson, an official from his training base, accepted the award on his behalf and confirmed Phelps had returned to the pool. The 18-time Olympic gold medallist stepped away from training in early October. Michael Phelps has been crowned Male Athlete of the Year at the 2014 USA Swimming Golden Goggle Awards . Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in sports history, winning 18 Olympic golds during his career . Olympic gold medallist and world record-holder Katie Ledecky capped her memorable 2014 season by claiming three awards, including USA Swimming's Female Athlete of the Year.
Michael Phelps was not present at the New York ceremony . Phelps was handed a six-month suspension by USA Swimming following his arrest for allegedly drink driving last month . Phelps confirmed in October that he would be taking a break from swimming to focus on his personal issues . Phelps is the most successful Olympic athlete in history, with 22 medals in total including 18 golds .