Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps is an American swimmer, the most decorated Olympic athlete in history with 28 medals, 23 of them gold.
His name functions as a byword for dominant athletic achievement: He's the Michael Phelps of competitive eating.
Phelps's career spanned four Olympics (2004–2016), and his records in butterfly and individual medley events stood for years.
Without prescribed technique
- butterflyWinged insect from caterpillar
- backstrokeSupine aquatic locomotion
- breaststrokeArms circle, legs splay
- individual medleyFour-stroke solo swim
pool · lane · goggles · cap · streamline · stroke · technique · pace
Highest documented achievement globally
- Olympic recordTop performance at quadrennial competition
- unprecedentedNever having occurred before
- record-holderOne with best result
- benchmarkStandard for comparison
barrier · fastest · legendary · hall of fame · Sports Illustrated · GOAT · dominance · Beijing 2008
Element seventy-nine
- medalMetal honor token
- BeijingChina's seat of government
- LondonEngland's capital city
- RioBrazilian coastal city, shortened
Athens · Team USA · podium · ceremony · national anthem · relay · record · victory
Pictorial screen symbol
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
- comebackRecovery after decline
- retirementLeaving the workforce permanently
broadcasting · philanthropy · mental health · advocacy · depression · therapy · ADHD · autobiography
freestyle
Without prescribed technique
- butterflyWinged insect from caterpillar
- backstrokeSupine aquatic locomotion
- breaststrokeArms circle, legs splay
individual medley · pool · lane · goggles · cap · streamline · stroke · technique · pace · split
world record
Highest documented achievement globally
- Olympic recordTop performance at quadrennial competition
- unprecedentedNever having occurred before
- record-holderOne with best result
benchmark · barrier · fastest · legendary · hall of fame · Sports Illustrated · GOAT · dominance · Beijing 2008
gold
Element seventy-nine
Rio · Athens · Team USA · podium · ceremony · national anthem · relay · record · victory · triumph
icon
Pictorial screen symbol
- legendUnverified traditional tale
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
- comebackRecovery after decline
retirement · broadcasting · philanthropy · mental health · advocacy · depression · therapy · ADHD · autobiography · documentary
- Sports LegendsMuhammad Ali, Tiger Woods, Tom Brady, Babe Ruth, Serena Williams
- Olympic ChampionsUsain Bolt, Phelps, Simone Biles, Jesse Owens, Nadia Comaneci
- record holdersUsain Bolt, Simone Biles, Serena Williams, Wayne Gretzky, Babe Ruth
- 2012London Olympics, Summer Olympics, Hurricane Sandy, Gangnam Style, US election
- BaltimoreBaltimore, Orioles, Johns Hopkins, Fort McHenry, crab cakes
- MarylandersNancy Pelosi, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Thurgood Marshall, Babe Ruth
Michael Phelpslandlubber
Non-seafaring person
non-swimmer · hydrophobe · aquaphobe · drowner · drowning victim
Michael PhelpsSimone Biles