Top 3...

The topic I have chosen is Swimmers, I will be ranking them by the accomplishments they have achieved in their own swimming career.



My personal favourite is Michael Phelps, he was the youngest swimming, at age 15, to break a world record. During the 2000 Olympics Michael Phelps swam the 200m butterfly in a world breaking time of 1:54.58. He was soon to become the male face of swimming. Giving up his eligibility at the college level he turned professional. In 2004 Phelps competed in Athens winning 6 gold medals and 2 bronze medals. Phelps was offered $1 million dollars if he could break Mark Spitz' 7 gold medals in one Olympic showing. In "The Race of the Century" Phelps lost to Ian Thorpe (Australian) and Pieter Van Den Hoogenbang (Dutch) placing him 3rd in the 200m freestyle his only hope was the 4x100 Freestyle relay. Which was a disappointment when their team took home the bronze. Phelps will be competing in Beijing in August, and yet again is offered the $1million by sponsor speedo, if he is to win 7 or more gold medals in his possible of 9 events.



The greatest swimmer in history is Mark Spitz, the 1972 summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, was the most memorable Olympics in history. Spitz won 7 gold individual medals also swimming world record times in each of those events. That was a world record for most gold medals won in one showing. Over 7 years Spitz won 9 gold Olympic medals, one silver and bronze. 5 Pan Am golds; 31 National U.S AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) titles; 8 U.S National CAAC (Collegiate Athletic Association Championships), and finally in those years he set 33 world records. Spitz will be the inspiration for many swimmers including Phelps himself.

Ian Thorpe was the world's best freestyle swimmer, Thorpe has won 5 Olympic gold medals, the most ever won by an Australian. In one world championship he became the first to win 6 gold medals, but in total he has won 11 world championship, the second highest number won by a swimmer. Thorpe was not only the greatest freestyle swimmer in his career, but also the youngest swimmer at age 14 to represent Australia. Thorpe is the only person to have won medals in the 100-200-400 freestyle. Giving Thorpe the nickname Thorpedo. With his size 17 feet which can often be mistaken as flippers, he makes the perfect freestyle swimmer. Thorpe was named swimmer of the year not once but 4 times. He is a phenomenal swimmer people will not overlook.

All three of these swimmers have given the world a reason to remember them, they have all had their share of achievements and swimmers will always look up to them.