When people say, “You just made history,” they usually don’t mean tying a 2,000-year-old record . . . unless they’re speaking to Michael Phelps. The Olympic swimmer just solidified his status as the most decorated athlete of our time (and nearly ever) when he won his 12th gold medal in the 200-meter butterfly. The last person to win as many medals as Phelps was in 152 BC. According to historians, Leonidas of Rhodes won the stadion, diaulos, and hoplite race four consecutive competitions in a row. While Leonidas competed in running races, they were especially impressive given he wore body armor and competed in all three events on the same day.
Leonidas and Phelps share another impressive feat: they were both over 30 when they won multiple titles. While Leonidas was not a swimmer, he was “almost literally an Olympic god,” according to The Washington Post. Sure, that means Phelps and Leonidas both have “more medals than Scrooge McDuck” combined, but Leonidas has nothing on Phelps’s game face. On Thursday, Phelps will swim in the 200-meter individual medley race, where he could possibly become the most medaled Olympian ever. We’ll certainly be tuning into that race.
Source: Pop Sugar