Since 2004, the name Michael Phelps has become synonymous with success, breaking records, and achieving legendary status. The American swimmer scripted history at almost every Olympics he participated in. When Phelps was done with breaking all the “modern-day” Olympics records, the man broke a 2100-year-old record. Such was the prowess of Phelps that no record was safe when he dove into the pool to compete.

Upon studying the physical and biological attributes of Phelps, many deemed him superior to his competitors. Hence, people considered him unbeatable, owing to these attributes. But one of Michael’s team physicians once gave a statement that would change the thought process of many.

Michael Phelps was not too different from his competition

An enormous wingspan, an abnormal lactic acid advantage, and a drive to become the best — combine all this, and we get Michael Phelps. With 28 medals at the Olympics, Phelps is the most decorated athlete the quadrennial event has ever seen. Famously called the ‘Baltimore Bullet,’ Michael became popular for the unusual advantages that made him seem unbeatable.

But one of his team physicians, Richard Weiner, once provided valuable information. The statement made Michael seem more human than superhuman. Weiner said, “I’m sure if we could measure Phelps as much as we would like, we would find attributes better than average for swimming, but I do not think we would find any glaring abnormalities.”

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Swimming Legend Michael Phelps Once Broke a 2168-year-old Record

Weiner also added if they would compare all Olympians in the finals to non-Olympians, they would see significant differences. “But we would not see them having freakish things like 200 percent more lung capacity or muscles that can contract at twice the (maximum) force of a normal human muscle. I mean, come on.”

Phelps’ physical and biological attributes

Over the years, people have often discussed the various advantages Phelps had over his competitors. While most of us know about Michael’s wingspan, few know about his lactic acid advantage and some other aspects that made Phelps’ body unique.

Standing at 6’3ft, Phelps has a wingspan of 6’7ft. Commonly, a person’s height is close to their wingspan, but the 4-inch difference between Michael’s attributes might have given him an advantage in reach. Phelps also produced half the lactic acid compared to his rivals, meaning he would be half as tired as them even at the same juncture in the race. Phelps is also said to be double-jointed. His feet could reportedly bend fifteen degrees farther at the ankle as opposed to the other swimmers. It means Phelps could use his feet as ‘natural flippers,’ allowing him to get a better push out of every stroke.

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Likewise, Phelps’ giant palms and arms would have helped him paddle through the waters much faster. His long torso would also have helped Michael decrease the resistance while wading through water. Safe to say, Phelps is a gift from the swimming gods, sent here to define the epitome of swimming excellence.