Michael Phelps

With a total of 26 medals, Michael Phelps is not just the worlds most famous swimmer but also the most decorated Olympian. In the several records held by Phelps, the most prominent ones are the all-time records for Olympic gold medals (19), Olympic gold medals in individual events (11), and Olympic medals in individual events for a male (13). The fact that swimming and athletics have more medals in the Olympics than the other sports works well for Phelps. With a total of 77 medals in major international long course competitions, Michael Phelps has won the World Swimmer of the Year award seven times. He had chosen to retire after the 2012 Olympics but later decided to come out of retirement and qualified for the 2016 Olympics. He was chosen as the flag bearer for the United States of America at the 2016 Summer Olympics Parade of nations.