When he was 15, swimmer Michael Phelps used to dream about winning an Olympic gold medal for the US. But, never had he imagined that one day he would win 13 individual gold medals and break a 2,168-year-old record of 12 solo titles set by leonidas of Rhodes.
leonidas had competed in four successive Olympiads (164 BC, 160 BC, 156 BC and 152 BC) running barefoot in extremely hot and humid conditions and becoming the only athlete to have won 12 solo titles in any discipline. But then they say, records are meant to be broken sooner or later.
So on Friday morning, after winning a gold in the 200 metre individual medley, 31-year-old pool shark Phelps broke leonidas’ record. Phelps clocked 1 minute and 54.66 seconds, followed by Kosuke Hagino of Japan with a time of 1:57.05 and Wang Shun of China with 1:57.21. Ryan lochte, the world record-holder in the event, finished fifth.
“Right now I don’t know how to wrap my head around that,” said Phelps on winning his 13th individual gold. “I don’t know what to say. It’s been a hell of a career.”
Centuries earlier, leonidas rather impressively won all three races at four straight Olympic Games and was unmatched in the world, until Phelps came along.
According to Olympic historians, leonidas was the closest thing to an Olympic god winning his last three gold medals at the ripe old age of 36.
Phelps also became the oldest man to win individual swimming gold in 96 years, breaking a record set by Hawaiian surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku in 1920.
Hopefully, leonidas enjoyed his 2,168 years on top!