The most decorated Olympian in history — 23 gold medals across four Games.
Michael Fred Phelps II was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1985 and became the most decorated Olympian in history, winning 23 gold medals, 3 silver and 2 bronze — 28 Olympic medals in total — across four Games from 2000 to 2016. He won eight gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Games, surpassing Mark Spitz's record of seven in a single Games set in 1972. He won six individual gold medals and two relay golds at Athens 2004, making him the first man to win eight medals at a single Games in any sport. His combination of extraordinary wingspan — 6ft 4in, wingspan of 6ft 7in — unusually short legs relative to his torso, double-jointed ankles and size-14 feet represented a near-perfect physical profile for competitive swimming. At his peak he held world records across seven individual events. He won 26 World Championship gold medals across his career. His later career was marked by well-documented personal struggles — a drink-driving arrest in 2014, depression and mental health challenges he has spoken publicly about — and by his advocacy for mental health awareness. He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated 19 times. He retired definitively after the 2016 Rio Games, having become synonymous with competitive swimming in the way that few athletes in any sport become synonymous with his discipline.
Most decorated Olympian of all time, multiple world records
How They Played
Versatile across multiple strokes, exceptional butterfly technique
Lasting Impact
Greatest swimmer in history, revolutionized competitive swimming
Olympic Gold 23x
During peak training he consumed up to 12,000 calories per day — five times the average adult.
Did You Know?Career Honours
- Olympic Gold 23x
- World Champion 26x
- World Records multiple