Swimming is one of only

Janet Evans, born in California, was a long-distance swimmer who held many world records. At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, she set a new record in the 400 m freestyle that lasted for eighteen years until France’s Laure Manaudou broke it in 2006. In Seoul, Janet won gold in both the 400 m medley and the 800 m freestyle. She successfully defended her 800 m freestyle title four years later in Barcelona, becoming the first woman to win back-to-back Olympic golds in any event.

Despite her relatively short height of 5 ft. 5 inches, Janet outswam many taller competitors in every championship she entered. She won a total of five Olympic medals (4 golds and 1 silver). Nicknamed “Miss Perpetual Motion,” Janet was honored to carry the torch in its final stretch and hand it over to the legendary Muhammad Ali at the 1996 Atlanta Games opening ceremony.

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Kristin Otto a German swimmer

Despite being a strong favorite, German swimmer Kristin Otto missed the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics because 14 Eastern Bloc countries, including her home country East Germany, boycotted the event. The next year, she had more trouble when she fractured a vertebra. However, Kristin overcame all these challenges and was in top form for the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

She won six gold medals in the 1988 Games, making her the first woman to achieve this at a single Olympics. During these events, Kristin set new world records in the 50 m freestyle, 100 m freestyle, 100 m backstroke, and 100 m butterfly. She retired from swimming in 1989.

8. Ryan Lochte

Ryan Lochte will take part in the Olympics for one final time in Rio

New Yorker Ryan Lochte holds world records in the 100-metre, 200-metre, and 400-metre individual medleys. He was a strong competitor against fellow American Michael Phelps during their best years in swimming. Lochte has won seven individual Olympic medals, which is the second-highest in men’s swimming history, surpassing Zoltan Halmay and Mark Spitz, who each have six.

At 32 years old, Lochte will compete in the Men’s 200m individual medley at the Rio 2016 Games. This will likely be the last time he and Phelps compete against each other in the Olympics. We will see if he can add to his impressive collection of 11 Olympic medals (5 gold, 3 silver, and 3 bronze) during this event.

7. Amy Van Dyken

she swimming to help with her severe asthma

Amy Van Dyken started swimming to help with her severe asthma, as her doctor suggested. This led her to win six gold medals in two Olympics.

In Atlanta 1996, Amy won the 50m freestyle, 100m butterfly, 4x100m freestyle, and 4x100m medley, becoming the first American woman to win four golds in a single Olympic Games.

She was the top athlete in Atlanta and came back to defend her team titles in Sydney 2000. Amy is tied with German swimmer Kristin Otto as the second-best female swimmer in Olympic history, with only Jenny Thompson’s eight golds, all from team events, ahead of her.

6. Natalie Coughlin

she has won 12 Olympic medals,

Natalie Coughlin, from California, has won 12 Olympic medals, tying her with Dara Torres and Jenny Thompson as the top female American Olympians.

In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Natalie became the first woman to win the 100 m backstroke title in two consecutive Games, following her win in Athens 2004. She also matched the women’s Olympic record for the most medals in a single Games, with six.

By winning a bronze in the 4×100 m freestyle in London 2012, Natalie finished her Olympic career with 3 golds, 4 silvers, and 5 bronze medals.

5. Dara Torres

She won two gold and three bronze medals.

Dara Torres, from Beverly Hills, California, made a comeback to swimming after seven years in Sydney 2000. She won two gold and three bronze medals there.

At the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, 41-year-old Dara broke a record held by Britain’s William Robinson, becoming the oldest swimmer to win a medal at the Games. She won silver in the 50-metre freestyle, 4×100-metre medley relay, and 4×100-metre freestyle relay, playing a crucial role in her team’s success.

Coach Michael Lohberg praised her amazing performance, including setting the fastest 100m split in relay history, saying she is among the best in sports.

Dara has an impressive total of twelve Olympic medals (four gold, four silver, and four bronze) and has won at least one medal in every Games she competed in: 1984, 1988, 1992, 2000, and 2008.

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Michael Phelps’s achievements in the Olympics are incredible. At just 15 years old, he joined the strong U.S. swimming team in Sydney 2000 and started setting records.

In Athens 2004, he aimed to break Mark Spitz’s record of seven gold medals from 1972. He competed in eight events but missed one gold medal, finishing third in the 200-meter freestyle, which was called the Race of the Century. Despite this, he won 6 golds and 2 bronze medals, becoming the top athlete in Athens. He repeated this success in Beijing 2008 and London 2012.

In Beijing 2008, Phelps won 8 gold medals, setting 7 new world records and 1 Olympic record. In London 2012, he surpassed Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina to become the most decorated Olympian ever.

After his fourth Olympics, he retired with 22 medals (18 golds, 2 silvers, and 2 bronzes). However, he made a comeback and planned to compete in three events at Rio 2016, aiming for one final Olympic win.

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