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Swimming is among the most high-profile and well-attended sports at every Summer Olympics. The discipline also has the the second-highest number of Olympic events, with only athletics having more.
The United States has been the most dominant team in the history of the Summer Olympics when it comes to swimming by a mile and then some.
Americans have won a staggering 553 medals, including 246 golds. In comparison, the country that comes in second in that table is Australia, who have 188 medals, which includes 60 golds, .
Of the 553 medals, 314 of them have been won by American men, including 143 gold.
Let's now take a look at the 5 most successful male American swimmers at the Summer Olympics (ranking is based on the number of golds won)
#5 - Gary Hall, Jr. *
Gold - 5; Silver - 3; Bronze - 2
Gary Hall Jr. represented the United States at the 1996, 2000, and 2004 Summer Olympics. Hall Jr. won a total of 10 Olympic medals, which included 5 golds,
While there are several American male swimmers with 5 gold medals, Gary Hall Jr. was selected as No. 5 based on total Olympic medals won.
#4 - Ryan Lochte
Gold - 6; Silver - 3; Bronze - 3
Ryan Lochte is a four-time Olympian and 12-time Olympic medalist, with six of them being golds.
Lochte has won at least one gold medal in each of the previous four Summer Olympics - showcasing his longevity in the sport.
#3 - Matt Biondi
Gold - 8; Silver - 2; Bronze - 1
Matt Biondi competed in three editions of the Summer Olympics - starting with the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles right up to the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.
In his glittering career, Biondi won a total of 11 medals, including 8 golds. Biondi's most successful Summer Olympics came at the 1988 Games in Seoul, where he won 5 gold medals.
#2 - Mark Spitz
Gold - 9; Silver - 1; Bronze - 1
Mark Spitz is a nine-time Olympic gold medalist. Spitza was the most successful athlete at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where he won an incredible seven gold medals. That feat was unmatched for 36 years until it was broken at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing by another American male swimmer.
Spitz retired from the competition at the early age of 22, following the 1972 Summer Olympics.
#1- Michael Phelps
Gold - 23; Silver - 3; Bronze - 2
Michael Phelps is not only the most successful and most decorated American male swimmer, but he is also the most successful Olympian of all time, with a rich haul of 28 medals.
The pinnacle of Phelps' glittering career came at the 2008 Beijing Games, where he won eight gold medals to break Spitz's 1972 record of seven golds at a single Olympic Games.
Michael Phelps holds an incredible 21 Guinness World Records - with several of them linked to the Olympic Games.
Thankfully for the current generation of swimmers, Phelps has announced that he has no plans to return to the pool at the Tokyo Games in 2021.
