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Getting into cold water is enough to give people shivers, but one name is enough to send shivers down the spines of athletes who swim for a living: Michael Phelps has been, without a doubt, the greatest swimmer to ever participate in the sport.
Ever since making his debut at the Sydney Olympics in 2000, the 37-year-old has conquered the world of swimming by collecting a whopping 82 medals in major competitions, a majority of which are made of gold. With these accolades presented, there can be no doubt that he is the "Greatest of all time" (GOAT).
Being the greatest swimmer comes with its fair share of rivalries, and Phelps has had no shortages in that department. SwimSwam asked their readers, "Who was Michael Phelps‘ greatest rival during his career?" and the results are in: Ryan Lochte wins with 79% of the votes.
A look at Phelps' rivalries over the years
Ryan Lochte now holds the title of 'The Greatest's Greatest Rival'! The American swimmer caught everyone's eye when he finished behind Phelps in the 200 Individual Medley (IM) at Athens 2004. It is no surprise that Lochte proved to be Phelps' greatest rival as he is ranked second in the Olympics with seven individual gold medals. Phelps and Lochte were in competition for the majority of a decade.
At the 2007 World Aquatics Championships, Lochte finished behind Phelps, winning silver in the 100 backstroke, 200 and 400 IMs, giving Phelps a run for his money. The following 2008 Olympics saw him win two bronze medals behind Phelps.
To this day, Lochte holds the world record in the 200 IM and an Olympic gold-winning victory in the 400 IM over Phelps.
The poll also consisted of one of Phelps' first rivals, Ian Crocker, who etched his name in history when he broke a young Phelps' record in the 100 fly, which he held on to for just one day in 2003. This birthed a rivalry between the two that led to the making of Unfiltered, which explored the teammates' relationship. However, this was not enough to name him the greatest rival, as he finished with 3.2% of the votes.
Ian Thorpe finished above Crocker and bagged 4% of the votes. Thorpe has bagged many medals across various competitions. He became the youngest ever male world champion after winning gold in the 400m freestyle at the 1998 Perth World Championships.
In 2001, Thorpe became the first swimmer to win six golds in the World Championship. He went on to dominate the 400m freestyle until 2004. This was also the year he got the better of Phelps at the Olympics, and their battle was recorded as the 'Race of the Century'. This made the decorated Australian "Thorpedo" the man to beat in Phelps' early career.
The 2012 London Olympics saw a young man named Chad le Clos burst onto the scene and gain an upset victory over his childhood hero Phelps in the 200m butterfly. As they prepared for the 2016 Olympics, the two swimmers exchanged comments on their respective times at the World Championships and the US nationals.
This brewed a rivalry that set up perfectly at the 2016 Olympics and gave birth to the iconic picture that saw le Clos shadow boxing in front of a frowning Phelps. Phelps went on to win gold in the 200m butterfly while le Clos failed to attain a podium finish.
Chad le Clos finished the SwimSwam poll with 5.6% of the votes.
The poll saw legendary Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic finish in a 'not so close' second place with 8.1% of the votes. Their most memorable moment was their duel in the 2008 100 butterfly at the Beijing Olympics, where Cavic finished ahead of Phelps in the heats and the semi-finals. This led to an iconic final where Phelps edged a victory over Cavic by a thrilling hundredth of a second.
However, the debate has come to an end. The Lochte-Phelps rivalry remains unparalleled.
