Michael Phelps has been an incredible athlete and Olympian for nearly 30 years. He made his first appearance at the Olympics when he was 15 years old and his last when he was 31. The records he broke and the impact he made on the sport and the overall Olympics are nothing short of sensational. To call him the greatest swimmer ever would be a disservice. Michael Phelps is the greatest athlete that ever lived, read on to find out why.
Records
It is generally agreed that the Olympics is the greatest stage for athletic competition. While it is an amateur competition, meaning that many sports don’t shine as brightly (Basketball, Soccer, etc) for individual sports there is no better measurement of greatness. If that is the case, then Phelps is the greatest of all.
Michael Phelps has won the most Olympic medals of any athlete in history, 28. At the 2016 Olympics, he won one silver and five gold medals to become the oldest individual gold medalist in Olympic history. Phelps has set 39-speed records, the most of any athlete, ever.
Phelps has a top speed of 10km per hour in the water. He is so fast that the Discovery Channel decided to race him against sharks as a marketing ploy for their shark week. While he lost out to the great white and hammerhead shark he managed to defeat the reef shark by 0.2 seconds.
Ok, Boomer
Phelps has said he is now happy to retire after the birth of his son, Boomer. Phelps has been vocal about the depression he suffered in the anti-climax after the Olympics and how he faced many difficult times during his career. He said he is now in a better place and ready to live a happy life with his family.
The athlete has shown repeatedly how he is the greatest there ever was. He has accomplished so many incredible records that to be a swimmer in the last 30 years meant to always be in Phelps’ shadow. If only he felt like competing in 2020 we are sure he could achieve it all again.
