This week, we’ve been counting down the top 10 moments of Michael Phelps’ career so far. We asked readers to weigh in via Twitter and Facebook to help us decide the top three, choosing between Phelps’ record 8th gold medal in the 400 medley relay, the huge American comeback victory in the 400 free relay, or the narrow Phelps touchout of Milorad Cavic for the 100 fly, all from the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Your votes have been tallied, and this Phelps moment came in at #1.
While there were a lot of votes for the #2 moment, the 400 free relay, it seemed like a slight majority of our viewers, while agreeing that the Lezak finish might have been the best race in history, viewed that as Lezak’s moment, not Phelps’. Thus, an ven closer, shakier, dicier finish in this 100 fly got an edge by just about a dozen votes.
#1-Phelps Has a Miracle Finish to Grab Gold Number 7
All of America’s hearts dropped for a half a second, waiting for the banners to show first, second, and third place on their TV screens. After what felt like an eternity, the banners popped up and Rowdy Gaines’ cheers filled family rooms, Phelps’ splashes of victory filled the TV screen, and the hope of 8 golds was filled back to the max. Touching at the fifty, he was seventh. Phelps needed more than a miracle. Slowly but surely, Phelps kicked it into high gear and put his epic 100 fly back half on display. And while his finish looked more like an indecisive age group swimmer rather than one that belonged to the greatest Olympian of all time, because it’s Phelps and because everything was on the line on the biggest stage, it worked. This was Phelps’ last individual swim, and after 16 races and 3,200 meters of swimming, it all came down to one one hundredth and one stroke. While he was at a loss for words in his post-race interview, the Serbian officials had plenty to say in terms of the finish. Cavic and his crew tired to challenge the finish via replay, but in the end it was Phelps who stood at the top of the podium with gold number seven around his neck.
And with this, we wait to see what future moments Phelps might bring to us
See Also
#2 – Phelps goes wild after come from behind 400 free relay victory.
#3 – Phelps wins eighth gold medal in Beijing
#4 – Phelps takes first Olympic gold, and it’s a new World Record
#5 – Phelps keeps the 8 for 8 dream alive by winning 200 fly blind in Beijing
#6 – Phelps takes down Ian Crocker at the 2004 Olympics
#7 – Phelps becomes youngest male in 68 years to make U.S. Olympic Team
#8 – Phelps proves he doesn’t need the Super Suit to win-2009 World Championships 100 Fly.
#9 – Phelps Becomes First Male to Three-Peat in Same Event.
#10 – Phelps Becomes the Youngest Male Swimmer to Break a World Record.
I love all the moments of Michael’s comeback, but what about the 4×200 free relay from Athens? That was one of the biggest upsets of that entire games. And while Lezak came from behind to beat impossible odds, what about Klete Keller beating arguably one of the greatest mid distance sprinters of ALL TIME? That has to be one of the greatest Michael Phelps moments because his reaction to that win, with a lesser known Lochte and Vanderkaay celebrating with him, will stay with me forever.
You’re right.
Great memory.
It was absolutely unexpected to see Klete Keller hold on and beat Ian Thorpe to give USA the gold medal.
That’s why MP was so happy after the race.
Here’s the race video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-1pODg-IHIA
I wouldn’t say that Keller beat Thorpe; rather USA beat Australia. Thorpe outsplit Keller by no less than 1.35 seconds but Australia was too far behind after 600 meter.
Similarly, Thorpe didn’t beat Gary Hall in 2000 in the 4×100 free relay, Hall had a faster split by a small margin.
Ok. He touched first the wall if you prefer. 🙄
He swam a smart and perfect race.
The 200 free in 2007 is my personal #1
I strongly disagree with this as the top swim.
I don’t underestimate the timing or importance of the race. Olympic finals. Beijing, going for gold number 7. Winning by 0.01 etc. To the wider world it’s by far the most famous swimming race.
But this list is called Phelps feats, not moments or memorable swims. This swim is in my opinion, cliched and overrated. Phelps had a poor start. He time was somewhat mediocre. It was the only race where he failed to set the world record in in Beijing.
If you take Cavic away and look at how Phelps did, then it’s actually pretty underwhelming. Sure, it gets bonus points for the situation surrounding it, but… Read more »
Great minds thinks alike! 🙂
Before I refreshed, I wrote the above in reply to Bobo in which I also said this top 10 seems about Phelps moments instead of feats.
I agree, but I think they say Phelpsian feats because of the alliteration haha. It wasn’t a great race, but it was a great finish and an incredible moment, like you said. I think that’s more what the guys at SwimSwam were going for: the most magical moments.
Can’t believe his first WC gold medal (Fukuoka 2001), and his 200 free in Melbourne 2007 aren’t in this top ten … different opinions I guess 🙂
You’re right about Fukuoka.
And about 2007, I would have rather chosen the 200 fly.
Both races deserved to be in that top 10.
But as you say, everyone has his own opinion.
It seems this swimswam top 10 puts more emphasize on Phelps’ “moments” instead of Phelps’ “feats”.
That 200 free from 2007 is my favorite. Even though he was awesome that week, I wasn’t expecting him to break Thorpe’s WR, and it was his first individual freestyle WR. And that underwater off the 150 meter wall…
The 200im in London 2012 win over Lochte was also big and timely. He had an disappointing start of the meet, but this win turned it all around and allowed him to (temporarily) end his career at a high.
Those underwater during that 200 free was sick, it was the weapon which Phelps used to break Thorpe’s WR.
I think it was the first time underwater was called the fifth stroke and unleashed by US top swimmers.
If you superimposed Thorpe’s Fukuoka swim with Phelps’ Melbourne swim, Thorpe was faster on the water, but Phelps killed it during the turns and underwater.
I was there for that 200 free one of the best soorting moments ive witnessed first hand, unbelievable how much he dominated the turns!
While that 200 IM was exciting, Lochte still held the WR afterwards from 2011. I feel like that kinda puts a damper on it.
The reason why I value so much that 200 free is the fact that until then he was primarily a butterflier and IMer. As for the symbolic significance of the event, as someone said on this website you need to win in a freestyle event to be ranked among the greatest.
A little off-topic, since Aswimfan mentioned MP’s great underwaters as the 5th stroke, I wonder: will they ever make it into a separate event? Like, 50 meters underwater, on belly and/or on back … I am only half-joking 🙂
I’ve been saying that for years. I think FINA made a huge mistake by restricting swimming technique in freestyle events. It’s so sad to see Manaudou, Schoeman etc have to come up before the 15 meter mark. Freestyle under the current rules is no freestyle anymore. (A 15 meter limit is good for other strokes, as those being restricted to a certain technique is the whole point.)
Imagine an analogous rule in the 100 meter in track: you have to run upright after the 15 meter mark. I imagine that’d cause outrage, but swimmers seem to accept such a rule. Personally I want an event in which it is only about getting fastest from A to B, without any limitations.… Read more »
Lennart: if they allowed as you suggest (actually free freestyle races) we would see two very different kinds of races, sprints, largely swum underwater, and distance or mid-distance races, where australian crawl would still prevail. I am not saying it would be wrong, just noting.
Race video. Normal view.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNKrQBGdYW0
Race video. Underwater view.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M9GRiXBS0e0
No debating how epic this was, and certainly taking nothing away from MP’s accomplishment, but let’s not forget Cavic’s role in all this. If you look at pictures or slow-motion video of the finish, he’s ahead coming into the wall but leaves his head up, causing a ton of drag while Phelps has his down. Phelps did things right and deservedly got the gold, but if Cavic hadn’t made an age-grouper mistake on his finish, we probably would have seen either co-champions or a silver for Phelps.
Yeah, and he just glided, didn’t even try to get another dolphin kick in…
That back half was legendary. It inspired me to split 35/33 in 100 fly at states that year. Lol haha 😛