He was only a kid , a 15-year-old with braces , when he first dove into the Olympic spotlight . He did n't win any medal at the Sydney Olympics , but he gave fans a tiny glimpse of what was to come when he swam the last 50 meters of the 200-meter butterfly faster than anyone else in the pool . He moved from eighth to fifth and moved from side note to talking point just like that . His teammate Tom Malchow told reporters at those 2000 Games , `` He 's a true competitor , and he 's going to be one of the greats . '' Malchow likely meant swimming great . But did anyone expect the long , lean teenager from Baltimore to grow up to be possibly the greatest Olympian in history ? Phelps extends record breaking spree with first individual gold in London . On Tuesday , Phelps won his 19th Olympic medal , more than many countries have ever won . And with a gold on Thursday he moved his overall total to 20 -- 16 gold , two silver and two bronze medals . `` It 's a combination of everything , '' he told reporters last week on how he became the biggest name in swimming . `` You have to have a great work ethic . Have a strong mind , be motivated . There are so many things that come into it . `` I have a decent package so I ca n't complain . '' The United States has been a world power in swimming since the days of Johnny Weissmuller , but Phelps has elevated its status like no other American competitor . Phelps talks idols , mistakes and his future . NBC once broadcast the world championships live , a rarity for the sport , because Phelps was so popular . He was the first swimmer to win Sports Illustrated 's Sportsman of the Year . After every Summer Olympics the number of swimmers increases , but when Phelps won eight gold medals in an electrifying eight days in Beijing in 2008 , it grew exponentially more than previous post-Olympic years , according to a 2009 article in the Orlando Sentinel . Phelps : ' I 'm done with swimming ' Fresh off his record-setting Beijing performance , in an offseason where he was more concerned about tricking out his new apartment than training , he told Sports Illustrated he was n't worried about the future even though he was out of shape and had put on some pounds . `` When I have to turn the switch back on , I know I can . All I have to do is put my mind to something and that 's it , it 's done , '' he said . It took a few years , but after some controversy he became motivated again . If Michael Phelps were a country : Counting up the medals . He was banned from competition for three months in 2009 after a tabloid newspaper ran a photo of him appearing to inhale from a marijuana pipe . He almost retired , but decided the London Games would be his sendoff from the sport he began as a wispy child in Baltimore . Phelps , who started swimming to emulate his sisters at age 7 , set individual world records 29 times , and still owns records in six events . In the two competitive races he has left he probably wo n't be besting those times , now that he 's almost a swimming old man ( and due to slower swimsuits ) . He wraps up a career as the most decorated Olympian ever , perhaps the greatest ever . Some commentators will argue the cases of track and field 's Carl Lewis , who missed an Olympics due to a U.S. boycott , or distance runner Paavo Nurmi , who won 12 medals . Some might argue for Bjorn Daehlie , the Norwegian cross-country skier . And there 's gymnast Larisa Latynina , whose 18 medals are now second all time . It 's a class for which it does n't take long to call roll . Phelps signs off with gold as world records tumble in swimming finale .
Michael Phelps swam one event in his fifth post-Olympic years , placed first . At age 15 , though , people saw his potential to be great swimmer . age 15 he has the most medals of all time , most golds . He raised the popularity of the sport in Baltimore through record-setting performances .