Michael Phelps won his 20th and 21st gold medals Tuesday night, extending his record for the most golds of any Olympian ever. His win in the 200 meter butterfly made him the first person to win individual swimming gold in Olympic games 12 years apart. He also became the oldest man to win individual swimming gold, breaking a 96-year-old record set by Hawaiian surfing legend Duke Kahanamoku in 1920.
Typically our oldest sports records are at most 75 or 100 years old, so it's absolutely wild to think of a sports record that spans millennia. But if we consider today's modern Olympics to be an extension of the ancient games held in Greece, Phelps has now tied a record.
Phelps' 12 individual gold medals is by far the record for the modern games -- early 20th century American track-and-field star Ray Ewry is next with eight. But Leonidas won 12 titles in the second century B.C. A renowned runner, Leonidas won three events -- the stadion, a sprint; the diaulos, a longer run; the hoplitodromos, a run performed while wearing armor -- in four straight Olympiads. He is believed to have won more Olympic titles than anybody at the ancient Olympic games. .
If we're being technical, Phelps is alone with the record for most gold medals -- they didn't give out gold medals at the ancient Olympics, instead giving athletes a crown of olive leaves. He'll pass Leonidas for most Olympic titles (medals or wreaths) if he wins either of his two other individual events, the 100-meter butterfly and the 200-meter individual medley.
Hopefully Leonidas enjoyed his 2,000 years on top. Here's to the robot sports bloggers of the year 4,184 putting up a post about how Olympic blernsball champion Lord Glorpnax the Destroyer has tied a record from an ancient swimming man named "Michael Phelps."