Legend of the Olympic Games: Michael Phelps, swimming superstar who shattered medal records

In this series ahead of Tokyo 2020, we will take a look at athletes who have been an integral part of the Olympic Games folklore over the past century and more.

Michael Phelps: The Games’ Gold Standard

Factfile: 

• Olympic Medals: 23 Gold, 3 Silver, 2 Bronze
• Olympic Games participations: 5
• First Olympic Games: Sydney 2000
• Year of Birth: 1985

Even given the fact that Phelps practices a sport in which extremely capable athlete can bag golds across different distances and strokes, his feats still blow away those of any other sportsperson. Phelps has 28 medals in total: his 23 gold medals are more than double the count of his nearest rivals, and its not as if other swimmers have accrued silly numbers of medals, either. Apart from Spitz, Matt Biondi (USA, eight golds) and Jenny Thompson (USA, eight golds), no other swimmer worldwide has managed more than six gold medals in total. 23 is astonishing.

— via Olympics.com

A hyperactive Phelps was encouraged into swimming aged seven to give his boundless energy an outlet.

By the time he had swum his last race in Rio five years ago the American had become the most decorated Olympian of all time with 23 gold medals, three silver and two bronze – 13 of the golds in individual events, another record.

And to think the “Baltimore Bullet” came home empty-handed from his first Games at Sydney 2000, aged 15.

He struck gold six times in Athens four years later, but finished third in two other events, leaving Mark Spitz’s 1972 Olympic record of seven swimming golds intact.

Motivated by Ian Thorpe’s comment that beating Spitz’s record was “impossible”, which he kept pinned on his locker, Phelps stormed to an incredible eight golds at Beijing 2008.

“Never in my life have I been so happy to have been proved wrong,” said Thorpe, after being poolside to witness Phelps’s eighth Beijing win in the 4x100m medley relay.

At London 2012 Phelps expanded his collection to 18 golds, two silvers and two bronzes before retiring, saying: “I’m done. No more”.

But in 2014 he came out of retirement and at 31 – well beyond the usual peak age for swimmers – extended his incredible run with five more golds and a silver in Rio.

Records are meant to be broken, goes the cliche. But if we see Phelps’ medal tally at the Olympic Games broken in our lifetimes, it would be rather incredible. Safe to say, he will be lonely at the top for some years, perhaps even decades to come.

The Olympic Games records owned by Michael Phelps:

• Most medals won all time (28)
  
• Most gold medals won all time (23)
• Most gold medals won at a single edition (8, Beijing 2008)
• Most medals all time in individual events (16)
• Most gold medals all time in individual events  (13)

(With IOC AFP inputs)