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Michael Phelps is widely regarded as one of the greatest swimmers in history. Over the course of his illustrious career, he has set numerous records and amassed a huge number of medals at the World Aquatics Championships, totaling 33 medals.
Throughout his career, Phelps participated in six editions of the FINA World Aquatics Championships — from 2001 to 2011. The championships proved to be the perfect stage for the American to showcase his speed, technique, and mental fortitude, as he won 33 medals across disciplines, including Butterfly, Freestyle, and Medley.
Of the medals he won at the World Aquatics Championships, 26 were gold, six were silver, and one was bronze. He won his only bronze in the 4×100m freestyle relay in 2011 in Shanghai.
When did Michael Phelps have his breakthrough?
Phelps made his first big splash during the 2001 World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan. At just 15 years and 9 months old, he became the youngest male swimmer to set a world record in the 200-meter butterfly at the World Championships Trials.
Subsequently, during the main championships, Phelps once again surpassed his own world record in the 200-meter butterfly and clinched his first-ever world championship title.
At the 2003 championships in Barcelona, Spain, he won four gold medals and two silver medals, as he broke five world records, becoming the first man to swim under 1:54:00 in the 200m Butterfly event.
Continued Success
Michael Phelps continued winning at the World Aquatics Championships in 2005, where he won five gold medals and a silver. At the 2007 Championships, he won seven gold medals, tying the record for a global long-course championship held by Mark Spitz since the 1972 Summer Olympics, as well as broke five world records. The only setback at the event was the 4×100m medley relay team receiving a disqualification for a false start during a changeover in the heats.
At the 2009 World Aquatics Championships, Phelps reduced the number of individual events he participated in, to three. He managed to win a total of six medals, including five golds and a silver. The event was marred by the bodysuit controversy, due to the alleged performance benefits gained from the bodysuits.
Phelps' final World Championships
Michael Phelps' last championships, in 2011, ended with a tally of seven medals, including four golds, two silvers, and a bronze. The championships ended without Phelps setting any world records.
The 38-year-old's unprecedented success at the World Championships and Olympics has made pundits and legends of swimming regard him as the greatest the sport has ever seen. With 28 medals, he is currently the most decorated Olympian in history.
