Michael Phelps, the world’s most decorated swimmer with 28 medals, dominated the pool in the early 2000s. His Olympic records and titles became the benchmark for aspiring swimmers worldwide.
In 2012, South African Chad Le Clos achieved the unthinkable by defeating Phelps in one of his signature events – the Men’s 200m Butterfly. Le Clos narrowly edged out Phelps at the finish, stunning the swimming world.
This was a significant shift in the dynamics of swimming at the time, and Phelps knew he needed redemption. Having won the title in 2004 and 2008 previously, he needed a terrific comeback.
Vowing to get his crown back the next time, the 2016 Olympics saw a new and improved version of the swimming legend ready to snatch back the crown.
With a successful run, Phelps reclaimed his 200m Butterfly title that year at the Olympics, thus establishing his dominance. However, it turns out that the reclaiming of Olympic titles isn’t as common among athletes as one might think.
In a recent post by Swimming Stats by SwimSwam that Phelps shared on his Instagram stories, he is one of three swimming champions who have successfully managed to accomplish this feat.
Joined by Anthony Ervin in 2016, and Sharon van Rouwendaal this year at the Paris Olympics, Phelps has now marked a new achievement in terms of individual events.
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The Paris Olympics witnessed several swimming icons who had set out to reclaim their Olympic titles across different individual events. Athletes like Katie Ledecky, who looked to get her 400m freestyle crown back, and Ryan Murphy, who set out to reclaim the 100m and 200m backstroke titles, failed to do so.
That’s not to downplay their achievements since reclaiming an Olympic title could be incredibly difficult in terms of individual swimming events.
With new records, strategies, and pace goals in place, the competition is as tight as can be. Phelps had just helped raise the bar high, leaving behind a legacy of milestones for upcoming stars to cross.
