How many team events has Michael Phelps won in the Olympics?
Michael Phelps is the undisputed king of the Olympics. Apart from being the most successful Olympian, he is also the greatest swimmer to ever enter the pool. The man known as the GOAT dominated the world of swimming for more than a decade and is the owner of more Olympic Golds than most countries.
The former American swimmer has won a total of 23 Olympic gold medals. His individual prowess aside, Phelps has won 10 Olympic golds as part of the US men's swimming team across three different events. This is proof that he is not just a terrific athlete, but a terrific team player too.
Michael Phelps' team victories
During his run at the Olympic games, Michael Phelps was absolutely untouchable at the individual medley and butterfly events. He brought these skills to the relay platforms and helped his team win as well.
The 4×200m freestyle
He has helped the US men's swimming team win the 4×200m freestyle a total of four times. His first victory in the event came at the Athens games in 2004 where he and company set a new national record of 7:07.33. This was almost three seconds quicker than their second-place finish at the 2003 World Championships.
This was the beginning of their dominance. Phelps continued to win this event at every subsequent Olympics until his retirement at Rio 2016.
The 4×100 m medley
Michael Phelps has four gold medals in the 4×100m medley. He first won the event as a teenager in Athens without swimming in the finals. As the fastest American in an individual event, he automatically won a place in the medley finals.
However, he gave up his spot to Ian Crocker in an attempt to give the veteran an opportunity to win his last Olympic gold medal. Crocked swam in his stead in the finals where Team USA won. Having swum in the heats, Phelps won a gold medal too.
The swimmer was part of the US team that dominated the event until his retirement and won gold in every 100m medley relay until 2016.
The 4×100m freestyle
Unlike the other events, Michael Phelps only managed to grab two gold medals in the 4×100m freestyle. However, he holds bronze and silver for the same. His first medal in the 100m freestyle relay came in 2004. However, the US team consisting of Phelps, Ian Crocker, Neil Walker, and Jason Lezak finished behind South Africa and the Netherlands.
In 2008, Phelps won his first gold in the event at the Beijing games. He stopped the clock for the US at 47.51 seconds and they finished with a time of 3:08.24. The Americans fell short once again in 2012 and finished in second place behind France. Nonetheless, he put the cherry on the cake when the Americans won the race at the 2016 Rio Olympics.