In prominent global competitions, athletes often outperform previous records. However, some stand the test of time. A Soviet artistic gymnast held one such record for a long time. But that was before Michael Phelps came along.

Humans are a creature of habit. As such, people tend to cling to the past. Therefore, it is hard for people to let go of their former glory.

What did Larisa Latynina say before Michael Phelps surpassed her record?

The swimmer started his journey towards stardom at the 2004 Olympics Games. And by the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he had already proved his mettle at the sport. However, the Flying Fish wanted to become the most decorated Olympian. Following the 2008 Olympic Games, the five-time Olympian realized he can make his dream come true.

When the athlete returned from his third Olympic meet, he had a tally of 16 medals. Yet he was still a couple of medals short of becoming the most decorated. Back then, Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina held the record with 18 total medals in the Games.

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By 2012, people looked forward to the swimmer surpassing her medal count. But the prospect of her broken record did not thrill the gymnast. Attending the swimmer’s 2012 events, she said, “Do I think I am still the greatest Olympian? Why yes, but that is my opinion.”

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“Why do I think this? Well, I did not only compete in three Olympic Games and won many medals, but the Soviet Union team had very great success when I was the coach,” the former gymnast added.

She continued, “I have been asked about this many times. Everyone wants to know about this, so I know every time he swims and what might happen. I am prepared. I am ready for this. I have had this record for a long time. I don’t hope he will break it, of course not. But I know.”

Other significant accolades of Phelps

During his illustrious career, Phelps obtained a total of 28 Olympic medals, putting him ten medals ahead of Latynina’s record haul. Moreover, Phelps became the only athlete to clinch eight gold medals at a single Olympics in 2008.

Although the swimmer broke numerous records during his career, subsequent swimmers surpassed most of them. However, there is one record that many have tried to outdo but failed. It is the 400m IM event at the Beijing Olympics.

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The Baltimore Bullet completed the event in an astonishing 04:03.84. Only one swimmer, Leon Marchand, has come close to this time, after clocking 4:04.28 at the 19th FINA World Championships. No other swimmer has made it past the 4 minutes 5 seconds mark after Phelps’ record win.