When the sun set on the Sydney
International Aquatic Centre in the summer of 2000, a legendary
week of swimming came to a close. Australia's Ian Thorpe was a
teenage Olympic superstar and world record holder. American Dara Torres had
completed the first of her 2 Olympic comebacks and the two
nations sat comfortably at the top of the medal tables. Team USA's Tom Malchow took home
the 200 metre butterfly title with an Olympic record time of
one minute 55.35 seconds, just shy of his own world record. Finishing fifth in that final
was a young 15 year old American teenager from
Baltimore. His name? Michael Phelps. Within a year, that 200 metre
butterfly world record would belong to him, the first of
dozens he'd have in an illustrious career. Phelps was a child phenom, claiming American age group records at as young as
age 10 years old. And while he didn't leave Sydney
with an Olympic medal, the swimming community had just seen
glimpses of the next generational talent. By Athens 2004, Phelps had
become a five time world champion and held multiple
individual world records to his name, asserting his dominance in
the butterfly and medley events. And on a sunny evening in mid
August, Phelps' Olympic dream became a reality. He won the 400 metre individual
medley and did it in style, breaking his own world record
and besting his nearest opponent by close to three full seconds. Phelps raised his first in the
air in triumph, looking to the video board and smiling, before
embracing his teammate Eric Vent, who captured silver. Even though he was only 19 years old, Phelps looked like a seasoned
veteran, a swimmer who could challenge anyone and anything
laid before him, something that rang true two days later in the
final of the men's 200 metre freestyle. Dubbed the race of the century
by the press, Phelps would challenge Dutch great Pieter van
den Hoogenband and Australia's own phenom Ian Thorpe for gold. The trio were lined up side by
side, with van den Hoogenband racing out to a ferocious start
and Thorpe following closely behind him. Phelps hung back, a trademark
move he'd become known to make as he'd consistently have the
endurance to catch up and take the lead over his opponents in
the dying meters. This time he'd have to settle
for a well deserved bronze medal as Thorpe grabbed Olympic glory
from van den Hoogenband in the final stages of the race. A crowning moment for Phelps
came in the 100m butterfly final where he took gold in an
Olympic record time of 51.25 seconds Incredibly, Phelps opted to
defer the butterfly leg in the 4x100m medley relay to
teammate Ian Crocker, then the world record holder in the 100
metre butterfly, giving his compatriot a final shot at gold
in Athens. Crocker didn't disappoint and
Team USA won gold in world record time. Phelps might have left Sydney
yearning for more, but he was leaving Athens with a full
trophy cabinet: an incredible 8 Olympic medals, including six
golds, 4 Olympic records and one world record. By 23, Phelps had already
accomplished more than most Olympians can dream to do in a
lifetime. But he wasn't finished. Not even close. Phelps' mission at Beijing 2008
was clear. He was going to break Mark
Spitz's record of 7 gold medals at a single Olympic
Games. He was going to win 8. A seemingly impossible goal that was no short of sacrifice. Phelps had spent the better part
of the last decade in the water and even skipped the opening
ceremonies to prepare for the most gruelling of events: The 400 metre individual medley. He won in world record time, nearly 5 seconds faster than the mark he set in Athens. The quest for eight was on. But his next challenge was arguably his toughest, the 4x100m
freestyle relay leading up to Leading up to the final, The French, led by eventual 100m
Olympic champion Alan Bernard, were heavy favourites. Every way the race was broken
down by the press leading up to the final, it had the same
results: France winning with the USA
settling for silver. If the Americans were to stand
even the remotest of chances of winning gold, it would take a
miracle. And that's just exactly what
they got. Phelps set an American record in
the opening leg with a blistering time of 47.51, but
the sub 48 second swims from teammates Garrett Webber-Gale and
Cullen Jones weren't enough to stop the French, who took the
lead Swimming the anchor leg for the Americans
was veteran Jason Lezak. When he dove, in he was more than
body length behind Bernard It was over. It was too steep a hill to
climb, even for a three time Olympian like Lezak. At the turn, Lezak made-up a bit
of ground but Bernard was still firmly in the lead. France was going to win this
relay and the Americans would have to settle for silver. But Lezak refused to give up,
digging deep with every stroke as the race entered the final 25 metres. Even with the whole world
watching and expecting that the French would win, Lezak didn't
stop. In the last five metres, Bernard tightened up and Lezak
swung his final stroke to the wall He'd done it. Lezak out-touched Bernard by
less than a tenth of a second and the water cube erupted in
disbelief. Lezak's split of 46.06 is still
the fastest 100 metre long course split in swimming
history. And for Phelps, his quest for eight golds was still alive. He burned through the rest of
his schedule, setting world records in every event and
bringing his tally to 6 gold medals To tie Spitz's record, Phelps faced his biggest
individual challenge of the games in the 100 metre butterfly. His challenger? Serbia's Milorad
Čavić, who topped the rankings after the heats and semi-finals
ahead of Phelps. Čavić wanted to be the swimmer who stood in the way of history. Phelps needed something special
to win this race. The two stared each other down,
almost as if they both knew that whatever the outcome were to be,
it would go down into the annals of Olympic history. Čavić lead at the turn. Phelps was well behind the rest
of the field. Perfect. By now, Phelps had established
himself, not as the swimmer to jump out to an early lead. He's the one who chases you down
in the final metres, as if there was no limit to his endurance. With five metres to go, Čavić
held his breath and put his head down, as if to will his way to
Olympic glory. Phelps swung his arms around one
more stroke and Čavić glided to the wall One one hundredth of a second. As if the relay wasn't dramatic
enough, Phelps added another unbelievable win for good measure. The 7th gold medal was secured, Spitz's record was tied and Phelps was
in the precipice of history. The 4x100m medley
relay gave Phelps a chance to bask in the glory of what he's
accomplished. The American quartet of Phelps,
Lezak, Aaron Piersol and Brendan Hansen won easily in world record time. 17 swims in nine days, 8 gold medals, seven
world records. A feat in the sporting world akin to climbing
Mount Everest. Phelps was more than just an
Olympian now. He'd become immortal. What more could Phelps
accomplish at the Olympic stage? He'd broken countless world
records, become a household name across the world and had more
Olympic medals than entire nations put together. He wouldn't enter 8 events like
Beijing, but the world still expected greatness and in the
1st event, the 400m individual medley, Phelps
finished outside the podium for the first time since Sydney. The greatest swimmer of all time
was in fact human after all. And while a close finish in second
to Chad Le Clos in the 200m butterfly would have had
some thinking, a changing of the guard was in order, Phelps was
quick to remind the world what he was capable of. It's incredible to look at six
medals, four gold and two silver and think that things were meant
to go differently. But Phelps was more than happy
to bask in his swan song, finishing the games as the most
decorated Olympian in history. 22 medals, 18 gold. Who could ever top that? The pressure of being one of the
greatest athletes of your generation is incredible weight
to carry on your shoulders. Adjusting to life after swimming
was no easy task for Phelps, and his struggles inevitably found
their way to the limelight. His path back to the pool in the
lead up to Rio 2016 was no easy task. But there's something only
the greatest athletes in history hold, an unstoppable fire deep
within that allows them to accomplish the impossible. Phelps had done it all, and what
more was there left to do? For starters, attend the opening
ceremonies for the first time in his career, an occasion marked
by Phelps being named flag bearer for Team USA. This was a different Michael
Phelps, an athlete who stepped into his role as mentor and
leader with pride. He was still the same incredible
swimmer that had always been winning 5 gold medals, but one
of the most special moments of his Olympic career amazingly
came in a silver medal performance In the 100m butterfly. Humbled by Olympic Champion
Joseph Schooling, who idolised Phelps growing up, he tied for
second with long time competitors Le Clos and Hungary's
László Cseh. As the three held hands mounting
the podium, the world basked in the joyous moment and cherished
the amazing career it had been made witness to. By now all of Michael Phelps'
individual world records have been beaten. The last one taking
till the summer of 2023 in the 400m individual medley by
France's rising star Leon Marchand. As the sport inevitably evolves,
there will be more swimmers who will swim faster than Michael
Phelps. There could very well be a swimmer who wins 9 gold medals in a single games, But nobody will ever be a champion like Michael Phelps. More than being the greatest
swimmer of all time, Michael Phelps will forever be one of
the greatest Olympians to ever grace the sport's ultimate stage 39 world records. 28 Olympic medals, 23 gold, and a name that will live forever.
