The most decorated Olympic athletes of all time tend to compete in disciplines with multiple events, including individual and team opportunities to win medals — like swimming, gymnastics and track and field. The Olympian with the most medals of all time is Michael Phelps. The swimming superstar won 28 medals between and , ten more than the previous record of Since the games in Athens, the number of countries and athletes participating in the Olympics has ballooned in size lowering the number of medals per athlete for each country.
Phelps started slow at his first Olympics in at the age of 15, finishing fifth in his only event, the m butterfly. Four years later in Athens, he entered eight events and came away with medals in every single one, then one-upped himself at the Beijing Olympics by finishing first in all eight events. He added six more during the Rio Olympics to ensure that his record would be virtually unbreakable.
A gymnast from the Soviet Union, she collected her 18 medals over three Olympic Games, beginning in Melbourne in Michael Phelps competing in the final heat for the Men's Meter Butterfly during day seven of the U. Phelps became a superstar at the Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, winning eight medals including six gold , tying with Soviet gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin for the most medals in a single Olympic Games. Phelps scored the first of six gold medals on August 14, when he broke his own world record in the meter individual medley, shaving 0.
He also won gold in the meter butterfly, meter butterfly, meter individual medley, 4-bymeter freestyle relay and 4-bymeter medley relay.
The two events in Athens, in which Phelps took bronze medals, were meter freestyle and the 4-bymeter freestyle relay. At the Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Phelps won his 14th career gold medal, the most gold won by any Olympian — surpassing swimmer Mark Spitz's record of seven golds.
He also set the record for the most gold medals won in a single Olympics by winning eight gold medals, in the 4-bymeter medley relay, 4-bymeter freestyle relay, meter freestyle, meter butterfly, 4-bymeter freestyle relay, meter individual medley and meter butterfly.
Every gold medal performance set a new world record, except the meter butterfly, which set an Olympic record. At the Olympic Games, held in London, Phelps' Olympic medal count increased to 22, setting a new record for most Olympic medals beating gymnast Larisa Latynina's prior record of He won four gold medals, in the 4-bymeter freestyle relay, meter individual medley, meter butterfly and 4-bymeter medley relay; and two silver medals, in the 4-bymeter freestyle relay and meter butterfly.
After the London Olympics in , Phelps announced he was retiring from swimming. However, he gave some indication of a possible return in July and would not rule out a possible Olympic bid for the summer games.
In April , Phelps put the retirement rumors to rest and announced plans to compete at the Mesa Grand Prix in Arizona. Meanwhile, the sports world continued to speculate whether Phelps would compete in the Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. His longtime coach Bowman told the Washington Post :. While Phelps did compete at the Mesa Grand Prix, he made a more impressive showing at the Pan Pacific Championships held that summer in Australia, winning three golds and two silvers.
On June 29, , Phelps celebrated a huge comeback when he became the first American male swimmer to earn a spot on five Olympic teams. His then-girlfriend Nicole Johnson, their baby, Boomer, and Phelps' mother Debbie watched the Olympic legend break history from the stands in Rio.
On August 7, , Phelps clinched his 19th Olympic gold medal in Rio swimming the second leg of the men's freestyle relay. He went on to win gold in both the meter butterfly and in the 4xmeter freestyle relay along with Conor Dwyer, Townley Haas and Ryan Lochte. Phelps went on to compete in the meter individual medley, an event dubbed "the Duel in the Pool" because he faced off against friend, teammate and rival Ryan Lochte, the world record holder in the race.
Phelps dominated the race, winning gold in over a body-length at Lochte failed to medal. Phelps' victory made him the first swimmer to win four consecutive golds in the same event. Being able to finish how I won is just something very special to me and this is why you are seeing more and more emotion on the medal podium.
Phelps then competed in the meter butterfly, tying for the silver medal with Laszlo Cseh of Hungary and Chad le Clos of South Africa. Joseph Schooling of Singapore, a year-old swimmer who idolized Phelps when he was boy, won the gold. In another emotional victory, Phelps took gold again in his final Olympic race, helping the U. Upon finishing, the most decorated Olympian in history received a standing ovation from the crowd. In a huddle with his teammates following the race, Phelps felt the emotion of the moment, according to the New York Times.
Phelps has accumulated a total of 28 medals at the Olympic Summer Games in Athens, Beijing, London and Rio — 23 gold, three silver and two bronze — setting the record for the most medal wins by any Olympic athlete. At the Olympic Games, he won one silver and five gold medals, becoming the oldest individual gold medalist in Olympic swimming history, as well as the first swimmer to win four consecutive golds in the same event, the meter individual medley.
Phelps has set 39 world records, the most of all time. And 24 years in the sport. I'm happy with how things finished," he said. I'm happy about it. I'm in a better state of mind this time than I was four years ago. In this series ahead of Tokyo , we will take a look at athletes who have been an integral part of the Olympic Games folklore over the past century and more. 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.
A hyperactive Phelps was encouraged into swimming aged seven to give his boundless energy an outlet.
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