In the History Books 📖
[Phelps] went and became the greatest Olympian of all time, and it’s not even close…
With the 2024 Paris Olympics just around the corner, it’s fun to look back on past performances of some of the athletic greats that have graced the Olympic podium representing the USA. While it’s certainly difficult to compare achievements across different sports (a 100m sprinter being better/worse than a volleyball player, for example), there are those that have stood out from the pack and defined greatness.
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Unmatched Greatness
For me personally, my top two Olympic athletes for Team USA are atop my list because of their pure domination of their respective sports. Number two being Simone Biles and number one of course being Michael Phelps.
Simone Biles may go down as the greatest gymnast of all time. She is only one medal shy from being the most decorated American gymnast in Olympic history. She currently has seven medals, four of which are gold. With these Paris games, she has the opportunity to bring her medal count to 12.
The Paris Olympic Medals in a Louis Vuitton Tray😮💨 pic.twitter.com/udvbAAuiAh
— garçon (@boymolish) July 3, 2024
Outside of the Olympics, Simone has completely taken the sport by storm since 2013 when she won her first World All-Around title. She went on to win it five more times after that as well. She has won 30 World medals, and 23 of those are gold medals. This gives her the record for most medals won at a world championship.
She has the most U.S. all-around national titles with nine and is the only American gymnast to ever win a world medal in every event. At 27 years old she will be the oldest women’s gymnast to make an Olympic team in 72 years. She looks to add to her collection and cement herself among the greatest gymnasts in history.
Michael Phelps takes number one on my list, as well as many other lists. His numbers are almost truly unbelievable. It apparently wasn’t enough for him just to be the greatest swimmer in history, but he went and became the greatest Olympian of all time, and it’s not even close. Phelps has a total of 28 Olympic medals and if that’s not impressive enough, 23 of those are gold, not to mention his last five golds were while he came out of retirement for the 2016 Rio games.
Take a look at Michael Phelps’ BIZARRE hacks! 🏊♂️
What’s your impression?😵💫#Olympics | #TeamUSA pic.twitter.com/fegeCMCGxR
— BetUS Sportsbook & Casino (@BetUS_Official) August 17, 2023
With Michael Phelps’s net worth now upwards of $100 million, I think he’s safe to remain retired comfortably at the top. To put it in more perspective, the athlete with the second most total medals has just 18. His success is mind-boggling and makes him, without a doubt, the top Olympian of all time.
American Heroes
Recently, BetUS posted a video on Instagram ranking the top 5 of American Olympic athletes. The list was a top three Michael Phelps, Jesse Owens, and Simone Biles, in that order. The last two slots were given to Mia Hamm and Charles Barkley.
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Not much to argue with in my opinion. Owens surpassed Biles due to his cultural significance and what he overcame to achieve what he did in his one and only Olympic games. As for Hamm and Barkley, although great athletes and icons of their game, it’s hard for me to put individuals from a team sport above those who are dominating entirely on their own in non-team events.
After the USMNT’s disappointing showing at Copa America, the U.S.A. looks to rally behind our 591 athletes competing for Olympic gold in just three short weeks. The opening ceremony kicks off on July 26th and I am excited to see if more history can be made.
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