By Alexandra Sukin ’15, Perspectives Editor
“The Greatest Olympic Athlete of All Time.” Or at least that’s what FINA, the international swimming federation, seems to think about Michael Phelps. But you don’t have to take their word for it.
Michael Phelps, who began collecting Olympic medals in 2000 in Sydney, Australia, broke his first world record at age 15. His swimming career continued its meteoric path as he won six gold medals and two bronze in the Athens Olympics, followed by his awe-inspiring, record-breaking 8 gold medals in the Beijing Olympics. In London, what had initially been described by the press as a rivalry between Ryan Lochte and Phelps, proved to be another confirmation of Phelps’ dominance.
Initially, Phelps struggled to maintain his winning streak, as he lost to Lochte in the 400 IM, not even medaling. However, proving his mental and physical fortitude, he beat Lochte for the gold medal in the 200 IM and racked up another five medals of which two were silver and another four were gold. After his recovery from the 400IM, the London Olympics served as further evidence that Phelps has no competition.
The records Phelps has amassed have catapulted him to another level. He is the current world record holder in no less than six Olympic events and the only male swimmer to have ever successively won two events in each of the last three Olympics. Swimming fanatics around the world were devastated to see him race for the last time, but as Phelps’s coach Bowman explained, he had nothing left to conquer.
I will admit that Lochte is an incredible swimmer, but Michael Phelps is just a cut above. He is known as one of the first swimmers to truly draw attention to the sport on a worldwide scale, and has inspired awe and provided motivation for athletes everywhere. His name is almost synonymous with the sport of swimming. Ryan Lochte may be a competitive second behind Phelps in the Olympic Medal count (and, in my opinion, attractiveness), but Michael Phelps has demonstrated that he stands alone as, perhaps, the world’s best athlete.
