The first time that Michael Phelps took part in the Olympics was in 2000. He participated in the 200-meters butterfly competition and finished fifth. After that, things changed. Dominating the swimming circuit for a long time, he won many Olympic medals in his career.
Significantly, he won 28 Olympic medals, of which, 23 were gold medals. While no swimmer won more than eight gold medals in the Olympics, Phelps has 23; That speaks volumes of the supreme he reigned.
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Undoubtedly, he is the best swimmer the world has ever seen, and his performances at the Olympics are a testament to the same. Thus, let’s look at the breakdown of his 28 Olympic medals.
Michael Phelps won 28 Olympic Medals
The sensational Michael Phelps dominated the Olympics after the 2000 Sydney Olympics. He won six gold medals and two bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics. Following that, the historic Beijing Olympics 2008 saw Phelps winning eight gold medals.
He equaled Mark Spitz’s seven gold medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Interestingly, Speedo issued a bonus for him if he managed to tie the record; and he went ahead, winning one more gold medal to bring his tally to eight. He became the best swimmer in the world ever since he did that. Later on, he solidified his position to have no doubts about it.
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The 2012 London Olympics saw Phelps win four Olympic gold medals and two silver medals. He missed out on a medal for the 400-meters individual medley, after finishing fourth. He is the current world record holder for the competition.
After all the success in the three Olympic Games, he ended his career 2016 Rio Olympics. Phelps finished off winning five gold medals and one silver medal in what was truly an unbelievable performance from one of the greatest Olympians of all time.
Breakdown of Michael Phelps’ 28 medals
Out of all the Olympic medal victories, there is one event that stands out at the four Olympics he won; The 200-meters individual medley. He won the competition four consecutive times, becoming the first person to achieve that feat. Here’s the complete breakdown of his medal victories.
2004 Athens Olympics:
- Gold medal- 100-meters Butterfly, 200-meters Butterfly, 200 meters Individual Medley, 4 x 100 meters Medley Relay, 4 x 200 meters Freestyle Relay, 400 meters Individual Medley
- Bronze medal- 200 meters Freestyle, 4 x 100 meters Freestyle Relay
2008 Beijing Olympics:
- Gold medal- 100-meters Butterfly, 200-meters Butterfly, 200 meters Freestyle, 200 meters Individual Medley, 4 x 100 meters Freestyle Relay, 4 x 100 meters Medley Relay, 4 x 200 meters Freestyle Relay, 400 meters Individual Medley
2012 London Olympics:
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- Gold medal- 100-meters Butterfly, 200 meters Individual Medley, 4 x 100 meters Medley Relay, 4 x 200 meters Freestyle Relay
- Silver medal- 200-meters Butterfly, 4 x 100 meters Freestyle Relay
2016 Rio Olympics:
- Gold medal- 200-meters Butterfly, 200 meters Individual Medley, 4 x 100 meters Freestyle Relay, 4 x 100 meters Medley Relay, 4 x 200 meters Freestyle Relay
- Silver medal- 100-meters Butterfly
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It is just an incredibly dominant performance by Michael Phelps in all the races. He is the greatest swimmer in the history of the sport. That being said, it is tough to see any swimmer breaking these records in the distant future.
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