

Swimming legend Michael Phelps is indeed greatness personified. What he has achieved as an Olympian is perhaps next to impossible for any other athlete to accomplish for years ahead. Even the skiing great Lindsey Vonn thinks the standards Phelps has set are unreasonably high. However, his extraordinary achievements will forever be an inspiration for generations of athletes to follow.
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Both Michael Phelps and Lindsey Vonn are two of the most prominent names in the sports world. Their contribution and stardom go beyond the sport they represented over the years. However, a career as great as Phelps is the best any athlete can ever have. 28 Olympic medals, 39 world records, and the title of the best swimmer in the world. Is there anything that could surpass these stats?
Lindsey Vonn talks about the unrealistic standards set by Michael Phelps for the rest of the Olympians
Winning an Olympic gold is every athlete’s dream. However, what would you say about the man who has 23 of them? Perhaps Vonn is not wrong when she said, “We definitely have been spoiled by Michael.”

via Imago
Michael Phelps from the United States of America kisses his medal during the awarding ceremony of the swimming final of men’s 4x100m freestyle relay at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Aug. 7, 2016. The United States won the gold medal with 3 minutes 9.92 seconds./ CHINA OUT
Not only Vonn, but maybe every athlete can relate to the unrealistic standards Phelps has defined for the rest.
Though sometimes, it’s the reason that fuels their journey towards greatness.
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Vonn understands that her sport is different from Phelps
There is simply no comparison between two athletes from different sports. Phelps is indeed a legend in swimming but so is Lindsey. Talking about her own struggle and journey, she said, “…in ski racing there are a lot more variables. There’s wind, there’s changing snow conditions, there’s what shirt number you have.”

via Getty
ST MORITZ, SWITZERLAND – MARCH 16: Lindsey Vonn of the USA poses with the Women’s World Cup Downhill Crystal Globe trophy after the Women’s Downhill Race on March 16, 2016 in St Moritz, Switzerland. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)
The four-time World Cup champion further added, “There are so many things that could potentially inhibit you from getting an Olympic medal that may have nothing to do with how good of a skier you are or how well you perform.”
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Do you agree with Lindsey? Or does the number of Olympic golds equal greatness?
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