Michael Phelps is one of the most decorated swimming legends of all time. In his career, the 36-year-old American earned a grand total of 23 Olympic gold medals. With his unparalleled success at the Games, he sits at the top for most medals won by a single athlete.

With this, he holds the record for having the most claimed Olympic golds across all games. His success in the pool earned him the nickname, “Flying Fish”.

Phelps was the first Olympic swimmer to earn a spot on five Olympic teams. Not only this, but he is also the oldest individual swimmer to earn Olympic gold. Displaying his excellent skills, the American made and broke several records.

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How was this possible? Did Phelps have a physique advantage?

Michael Phelps’s legs and torso are a plus point

In general, swimmers tend to have longer torsos and shorter legs than a normal person. But Michael Phelps had a tremendous advantage.

With a height of 6 feet and 4 inches, he has a torso of a male who is 6 feet and 8 inches tall and has legs that are 8 inches shorter.

Basically, his disproportionately big chest enables him to push and cut himself through the water. Furthermore, it implies that his legs produce less water resistance with every stroke that follows.

Michael Phelps’ wingspan longer than his height

The wingspan is the length between the swimmer’s fingertips on opposing arms when spread to the sides. An ordinary person’s wingspan is roughly the same as their height, but Phelps’ wingspan is 3 inches greater than his height (6 feet 7 inches being his wingspan and 6 feet 4 inches, is his height, as per The Telegraph.)

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Therefore, having a longer wingspan implies that your arms can reach farther and cut through more water, easily. Indeed, when the competition is cut-throat, even the minutest of such details bring about the biggest difference between all competitors. Reaching the finishing line faster than the rest is a matter of milliseconds. Hence, having such an advantage definitely makes Michael Phelps as a man ‘suited to swim’.