How many medals has Michael Phelps won? Complete list of the most decorated athlete's illustrious career pursuits
Michael Phelps has won a total of 115 medals in his iconic swimming career, winning 85 gold, 21 silver and 9 bronze medals. This includes medals at the Olympics and top swimming events, comprising the World Championships (long course and short course), Swimming World Cup and Pan Pacific Championships.
Owing to his accomplishments in the sport, the legendary swimmer has achieved the World Swimmer of the Year award on eight occasions, the FINA Swimmer of the Year twice in 2012 and 2016 and the American Swimmer of the Year award eleven times.
Michael Phelps at the Olympics
Michael Phelps claimed 28 medals at the prestigious Summer Games, including 23 gold, 3 silver and 2 bronze medals, making him the most successful Olympian of all time.
At the Athens Olympics 2004, he won 6 gold and 2 bronze medals, which tied him alongside gymnast Alexander Dityatin’s record of eight medals of any color in a single edition of the Olympics.
Four years later, he shattered the record of fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz who had earned 7 top-place finishes in a single Olympics in 1972 by bagging 8 gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
At the London Olympics 2012, Phelps clinched 6 medals, 4 of which were gold and 2 were silver. With this, he became the top swimmer at the Summer Olympics for the third time in a row. For his exploits in the sport, FINA (now World Aquatics) rewarded him with the most decorated Olympian award.
The 2016 Olympics saw Phelps cap off an incredible Olympic campaign in Rio de Janeiro by winning 5 gold and 1 silver medal. He officially retired from the sport after the Games.
Michael Phelps at the World Championships
At the World Championships (long course), Phelps won 33 medals overall (26 gold, 6 silver, and 1 bronze) and topped the chart of most medals in both individual and team events.
Phelps (15) is second on the list of most individual medals, with Katie Ledecky (16) surpassing him at the World Aquatics Championships 2023 in terms of gold medals. At the World Swimming Championships (short course), Phelps has only one medal (gold) to his name in the 200m freestyle in 2004.
Michael Phelps at the Swimming World Cup and Pan Pacific Championships
The Swimming World Cup witnessed Phelps collecting 32 medals, including 19 gold, 7 silver, and 6 bronze medals. At the Pan Pacific Championships, Phelps’ total count of medals is 21, with 16 gold and 5 silver medals.