Retired superstar Michael Phelps was awarded the 2017 ESPY for Best Record-Breaking Performance last night in Los Angeles, marking the 8th ESPY win over the course of his storied career. The ESPY awards show, produced by ESPN, recognizes the best in sports from the prior year, with a heavy American lean.
Phelps won the award over 2 basketball players and a football coach, which shows the power of his Olympic medal count. He entered 2016 with the record for most Olympic medals and gold medals, and by winning 5 more gold in Rio and a silver, extended both records to an unprecedented 23 and 28, respectively.
In his acceptance speech, Phelps reminisces to a time when he was just a young guppie in Baltimore, dreaming of bigger and better things for the sport he cares so much about. He then gave a nod to his wife, Nicole, letting the crowd know the mother of Boomer was celebrating her birthday, as well as recognizing the fact the pair first met at the ESPY awards 10 years ago.
Video courtesy of ESPN on YouTube.
Actually he won 2 ESPY awards
That USC professor who assigned Nicole Phelps to Michael Phelps at the 2007 ESPYS is the best matchmaker of all time.
Fantastic young man! He’s a great example!
Taking a final bow after a long and bountiful swimming career.
The years 2000-2016 will be known as the Phelps Era in swimming history.
My favorite WR race of his was the 4:03 in the 400 IM.
That turn from breast to free when he finally throws down his cards and leaves the greatest swimmers in the world to eat his wake. Damn.
And Rowdy was right for once. That swim makes us all look like idiots, almost a decade later, we all still look like idiots compared to that swim, much less that entire week.
The only thing close was Ryan Lochte 4:05.1 in London, which was also a magnificent swim.
Here’s an interesting fact about Phelps and Lochte: Phelps broke the WR in the 200 IM eight times, the most of any event he swam. Yet Lochte has the best swim of all time – his 1:54.00 WR. That’s a record that might sit there for many years.
That 200 im at Worlds2011 was incredible (one of the top5 in my memories beside 100 fly 2003, 200 free 2004, 200 free 2007 and 100 fly 2009).
Phelps swam his PB northeless he was far from an ideal shape, trying to catch in every single meter the best Lochte.
It would have been nice to see Phelps committed between Beijing and London. He would have gone faster in all his events and would have put up even more crazy WRs!
Well deserved ??
Who’s the moron who disliked this xD
The ? representing.