The USA is currently at the top of the leaderboard at the Paris Olympics, only if you consider the total medal tally (26). However, when the scorecard is prepared with the leading gold-winning nation at the top, the Americans are seen in a grim sixth place on the chart. With the country winning yet another silver medal just moments ago, the community can’t help but reminisce just how good things were with Michael Phelps on the team.

Phelps, arguably the greatest Olympian of all time, boasts an incredible 23 gold medals under his belt. While this feat isn’t easy to attain, fans thought he opened a new era for the country in swimming, which will see the USA dominate the waters for the foreseeable future. With that thought looking like a farce in the French capital, fans aren’t really feeling the jubilation.

In a post on Instagram, the official USA Swimming account shared the latest achievement of Luke Hobson & Co. In the men’s 4×200 relay, the team comprised of Hobson, Carson Foster, Drew Kibler, and Kieran Smith finished second, bagging another medal for the country on the grandest stage. “Adding another relay medal to the count,” reads the peppy caption of the post. The USA was beaten by the British squad, who were more than a second quicker to finish the race.

On the other hand, the Australians were again slower by almost two seconds than their American colleagues and finished the race in third place. However, considering that the Australians have already won six golds at the Paris Games (4 of them came in swimming alone) against the USA’s 4, the Aussies are higher on the scoreboard.

So far, the US has racked up only two golds in swimming events, 7 silver and 6 bronzes. Naturally, fans can’t stop lamenting the tragedy that has befell the same nation that produced Michael Phelps. And they aren’t shy of speaking their minds on social media.

Michael Phelps’ legacy tarnished in the City of Love, fans mourn

Ever since the celebratory post went up, members of the swimming community have come forward to sound a collective sigh to slam the USA contingent for the lack of gold on its plate. “The Gold became a past for the USA,” said a fan without beating around the bush, noting how the country is displaying a gnarly lack of hunger to show its determination to stay on top, something that had become a common site in over the years in the Olympic Games.

When Phelps was on the team, the USA seldom had to worry about having enough gold in the box to prove its superiority over the years. While Marc is definitely happy about the latest silver win, he seems too reluctant to forget how the Baltimore Bullet always took charge of the situation. “Congrats but the Michael Phelps days are over,” commented this fan on X.

“Where are the Gold bring me Phelps back,” frowns Fabian, as the fan also can’t forget what the Flying Fish brought to the table. Even in the Rio Olympics, Michael’s last Games, he scooped five medals, four of them gold! Naturally, forgetting his contributions won’t be easy.

Host nation France is sitting two steps ahead of the USA with 18 medals in total and five golds. However, they have won only one medal in swimming events, that being the gold by world record holder Leon Marchand in the men’s 400m individual medley. Marchand is a student-athlete for the Arizona Sun Devils, and trains under Bob Bowman, the same legendary trainer behind Phelps’ success. With the US displaying shambling swimming results, one fan ponders whether the Frenchman’s success can be counted as one of America’s own.

Kelly, too, knows what the Stars and Stripes stand for in the swimming world. “Where are our golds…specifically gold in swimming we’ve always been so good,” said this follower. Are you also missing gold medals coming the country’s way in throngs? Do you think the USA’s swimmers have fallen behind in the race to the top of the food chain? Tell us in the comments!