There will never be another Michael Phelps

The great thing about not having anything to do for the past week and a half has been sitting on my couch and watching Olympic coverage for 8+ hours a day. I can't remember the last time since going to college where I have been able to wake up, eat breakfast, and then not worry about anything for the entire day- and I have to say it has been damn good. Compound this with the fact that I LOVE the Olympics, and I have been spoiled. As a sports fan, there is just nothing like the Olympics. While the World Cup is incredible just from the fact that there is so much high quality soccer for a month, nothing compares to the Olympics when it comes to the diversity of sports and the amazing level it is played at.

Since 2000, Michael Phelps has been the epitome of the Olympics. Not only was he the face of a sport that a majority of people only watch every four years, he has dominated the pool. Even though he struck out at the tender age of 15 in Sydney, this led to 16 years of pure dominance along the way that I think we would be lucky to see ever again. And while I think there is an argument that Usain Bolt's career since 2008 equals or even betters Phelps' accomplishments, I believe that Michael Phelps is the best Olympian that I have ever seen or will ever seen.

Courtesy: Baltimore Sun

I remember reading an article in Sports Illustrated leading up to the Athens game that talked about how a brash young American would try to break Mark Spitz's (Go Hoosiers) Olympic record and win eight gold medals in a single Olympic Games. Immediately I was enthralled with the greatness of Phelps, and watched as Phelps swam and fell short of the record, "only" winning six gold medals and two bronze. I was disappointed, as Phelps fell short of his record, but even then it was clear not only how difficult this accomplishment would be but how audacious it was for Phelps even to consider challenging this record.

Flash forward to the Beijing Games in 2008, and Phelps embarked upon the same journey- determined to reach the pinnacle of his sport and etch his name in the Olympic history books. I watched all of his events and two in particular stand out. The first one was his 100 meter Butterfly, a race he won by a fingertip and after watching the replay I'm still shocked he won. Not only do I remember that race for how close it was, but I remember my Uncle Ken who I was watching with say, "There's no way he'll win" after watching the first half and first three quarters of the race. Everyone in my living room was just in shock when he actually was able to squeak in and win the race by one one hundredth of a second. Obviously the 2nd race I remember was when he broke the record. Walking out of a Bar Mitzvah party the hotel had the race on, and I stood and watched with about 20 other people when Michael Phelps did the impossible and won his 8th gold medal in a single Olympics.

Even with all of his achievements, the road hasn't been easy for Phelps. There have been mistakes and controversies along the way, and even when he had a solid Olympics in London in 2012 I think it was clear he wasn't 100% dedicated to the sport. But after Rio, it is clear that Michael Phelps has differentiated himself from the pack, not only among swimmers, but among all athletes. I mean he broke a 2,168 year-old record held by Leonidas of Rhodes with his last gold medal for crying out loud!

Many stories have been written about how Phelps has evolved during his time in the public eye. And while I have not studied and written about him like many people in the media, I have grown up watching and sitting in awe of what this man has accomplished. If this is indeed his last Olympics, which is what he has said and what I believe, he exits the world spotlight as the most accomplished athlete of all time in terms of Olympic medals, and one of my favorite athletes of my lifetime. I am not sure we will ever see another athlete be as successful as Phelps on the world stage, and I will be forever grateful that I was able to watch the Greatest of All Time do it with my own eyes.

Duncan Hensley
Indiana University
Kelley School of Business '18