Why is Michael Phelps regarded as the greatest athlete of 21st century?

Michael Phelps has won 28 Olympic medals, out of which 23 are gold.

The name of former American swimmer Michael Phelps is always on the list of the greatest athletes to ever play a sport.

Phelps is also a major reason behind the United States’ dominance in swimming. He was born on June 30, 1985, in Baltimore, Maryland. Michael Phelps started training at the age of 11 and made his Olympic debut at the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney. However, he failed to win any medals in his debut campaign at the Olympics.

In 2001, he won his first World Championship gold, and it was Phelp’s first step towards his unparalleled success in sports. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, he won six gold medals and two bronze medals. Following his glorious form, Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

In addition to that, he won six medals each at the 2012 and 2016 Olympic Games. Phelps is officially the most doctorated Olympic athlete of all time with 28 medals, out of which 23 are gold. However, apart from the astounding numbers, Phelps’ dominance and versatility were second to none.

ALSO READ: Top five weirdest sports to be part of Olympics

From the 100m butterfly to the 200m individual medley, the former American swimmer was a master in his sport. Due to his impeccable endurance and strength, Phelps was also given nicknames such as ‘The Baltimore Bullet’ and ‘Flying Fish’.

Interestingly, the second-most successful athlete in Olympic history is Larisa Latynina, with 18 medals, out of which nine were gold. She represented the Soviet Union in gymnastics and had ten fewer medals than Michael Phelps.

In addition to that, Phelps currently holds four world records. He set a world record in the 400m individual medley and 4 x 100m freestyle relay at the Olympics. Moreover, he also set world records in the 4 x 100m medley relay and 4 x 200m freestyle relay at the World Championships.

He created the world record in the 400m individual medley during the 2008 Olympics, where he claimed the gold medal with a timing of 4:03.84. Phelps created the 4 x 100m freestyle relay world record at the same Olympics with his team with a clocked timing of 3:08.24.

The former American swimmer made the 4 x 100m medley relay world record with a time of 3:27.28 seconds at the 2009 World Championships. Moreover, at the same World championships, Phelps broke his world record to make a new one by winning the gold medal with a timing of 6:58.55 in the 4 x 200m freestyle relay.

Phelps retired from swimming in 2016; however, he helped behind an unprecedented glory, which seemed impossible for any other athlete to achieve.

For more updates, follow Khel Now on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; download the Khel Now Android App or IOS App and join our community on Whatsapp & Telegram