Michael Phelps has won his 18th Olympic gold medal in the 4X100 medley relay in London, giving him twice as many golds as any other Olympian in history. Here’s a look at each of his Olympic first-place triumphs — from Athens to Beijing to London.
[BoxTitle]1. Athens 2004 — 400m IM[/BoxTitle]
Phelps wins his first Olympic gold with a world record time of 4:08.26
[BoxTitle]2. Athens 2004 — 200m Butterfly[/BoxTitle]
Phelps bags his second Olympic gold with an Olympic record time of 1:54.04.
[BoxTitle]3. Athens 2004 — 4X200m Freestyle Relay[/BoxTitle]
Phelps teams with Ryan Lochte, Peter Vanderkaay and Klete Keller to win gold with a time of 7:07.33.
[BoxTitle]4. Athens 2004 — 200m IM[/BoxTitle]
Another gold, another Olympic record time: 1:57.14.
[BoxTitle]5. Athens 2004 — 100M Butterfly[/BoxTitle]
Phelps edges out teammate and world record holder Ian Crocker by 4/100 of a second to win gold in 51.25.
[BoxTitle]6. Athens 2004 — 4X100 Medley Relay*[/BoxTitle]
The Americans set a world record and win the gold. *Phelps doesn’t swim in the final but receives a medal for swimming in a preliminary heat. The young Phelps finishes the Athens Games with six golds and two bronzes.
[BoxTitle]7. Beijing 2008 — 400m IM[/BoxTitle]
Phelps breaks his own world record (set in a preliminary heat), swimming 4:03.84 for the gold.
[BoxTitle]8. Beijing 2008 — 4X100m Freestyle Relay[/BoxTitle]
More gold. The team sets a world record in 3:08.24 while Phelps swims his freestyle leg in an American record 47.51.
[BoxTitle]9. Beijing 2008 — 200m Freestyle[/BoxTitle]
Another gold, another world record (breaking his own) in 1:42.96. With nine Olympic gold medals, Phelps ties Mark Spitz, Larisa Latynina, Paavo Nurmi and Carl Lewis.
[BoxTitle]10. Beijing 2008 — 200m Butterfly[/BoxTitle]
Yet another gold, yet another world record in 1:52.03. That’s four golds and four world records in four events so far in Beijing. And with 10 lifetime golds, he has the most of any modern Olympian.
[BoxTitle]11. Beijing 2008 — 4X200m Freestyle Relay[/BoxTitle]
Phelps joins Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens and Peter Vanderkaay to win another gold and, yes, set another world record in 6:58.56. The Americans smash the old record by four and a half seconds.
[BoxTitle]12. Beijing 2008 — 200m IM[/BoxTitle]
Yawn. More gold. More world record setting (1:54.23).
[BoxTitle]13. Beijing 2008 — 100m Butterfly
In a controversial photo finish, Phelps takes gold with an Olympic record time of 50.58.
[BoxTitle]14. Beijing 2008 — 4X100m Medley Relay[/BoxTitle]
Phelps teams with Brendan Hansen, Aaron Peirsol and Jason Lezak for another gold and another world record in 3:29.34 — beating the Americans’ record set in Athens. Phelps totals eight golds in these Games, topping Mark Spitz’s record of seven.
[BoxTitle]15. London 2012 — 4X200m Freestyle[/BoxTitle]
After two silvers earlier in London, this gold, in a time of 6:59.70, makes Phelps the winner of the most Olympic medals in history.
[BoxTitle]16. London 2012 — 200m IM[/BoxTitle]
Phelps tops rival Ryan Lochte for the gold in 1:54.27.
[BoxTitle]17. London 2012 — 100m Butterfly[/BoxTitle]
Phelps wins his third straight Olympic gold in this event with a time of 51.21.
[BoxTitle]18. London 2012 — 4X100 Medley Relay[/BoxTitle]
Phelps and his teammates bring another gold home for the U.S., giving Phelps twice as many golds as any Olympian in history. In his final Olympic race, Phelps puts an exclamation point on his legacy as the greatest Olympian in history.