Two Most Successful Summer Olympians of the 21st Century
Sports have always been a beloved pastime and – since the turn of the millennium – they have become more competitive than ever. Top-level athletes strive to achieve excellence in their respective fields, and it is during the biggest sports events that the planet’s elite superstars distance themselves from the rest of the pack. The summer of 2024 will see the next edition of the Olympic Games emanating from Paris and that is where the most iconic athletes will take to the global stage and compete for glory.
But in addition to these competitors striving for victory next year, many expert athletes from years gone by have earned recognition throughout history by setting records and winning gold medals. Since the modern Olympic Games began in 1896, there have been countless amazing athletes who have graced the world stage, but we’re interested in the ones that achieved success in the 21st century. Without further ado, let’s take a closer look at the most successful Olympians from the summer Olympic Games.
Michael Phelps – Swimming Phenom
Swimming sensation Michael Phelps has been known to play poker professionally as well as in internationally recognized tournaments. But when he isn’t busy playing the planet’s most popular card game, he is busy decimating the planet’s best swimmers inside the pool. The 37-year-old American retired from action back following the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, but he didn’t do so until he became not only the most successful Olympian of the 21st century but also the most decorated Olympian of all time.
The ‘Flying Fish’ has featured at five Olympic Games namely Sydney 2000 (aged just 15), Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, and the aforementioned Rio games in 2016. Throughout those 14 years, the Baltimore-born star has racked up a whopping 28 Olympic medals, with 23 of those being gold. To put that into context, Phelps is ten medals clear overall and a massive 14 golds clear of Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who is second in the overall medals table.
Despite retiring over a decade ago, Phelps still has four world records to his name. He also holds the first and third spots on the list of most gold medals won at a single Olympic Games. He won eight golds at the Beijing games in 2008 as well as six gold medals at Athens in 2004, a feat made even more impressive considering the fact that he was just 19 years of age at the time.
Usain Bolt – Fastest Man Alive
From his signature lightning bolt celebration after winning races, to his easy-going demeanor off the track, Usain Bolt is perhaps the most iconic Olympic athlete of his generation. The Jamaican sprinter featured prominently at four separate Olympic Games and picked up eight medals throughout his storied career, all of which were gold. And it would have been nine had it not been for his teammates.
Beijing 2008 saw perhaps the most competitive 100m Olympic final in history. The three main protagonists for the race were all Jamaican, with both Asafa Powell and Michael Frater expected to push Bolt all the way. In the end, however, he wiped the floor with the opposition, winning the race by some distance and setting a new world record in the process. He would also win the 200m gold medal, which was his bread and butter at the time, as well as the 4x100m relay, setting world records in all three disciplines.
Unfortunately for Bolt, however, his relay gold medal would be stripped following all three of his teammates, Nesta Carter and the aforementioned Powell and Frater, testing positive for banned substances. Lightning Bolt would put that right four years later.
At London 2012, the now 37-year-old completed a never seen before hat trick as he once again secured the 100m, 200m, and 4x100m relay gold medals. This time, the relay golds weren’t going anywhere. Both he and Powell as well as newcomers Yohan Blake and Nickel Ashmeade romped to glory by some distance, and they did so by setting a world record in the process.
Bolt’s final successes would come at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He would once again sweep gold medals in all three of the events he was competing in, taking his gold medal haul to eight overall. Only four athletes throughout history have picked up more gold medals than Usain Bolt, and his legacy as the fastest man alive lives on today as he still holds the world records in all three categories.
Since retiring from the world of sprinting, the now 37-year-old bolt tried his hand at football. Back in 2018, the Jamaican sensation went on trial with Australian A-League outfit Central Coast Mariners and played in a number of friendlies for the club. Unfortunately for both Bolt and his legion of fans, nothing ever materialized and in January 2019, he would officially give up his footballing ambitions once and for all.
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