On this day 15 years ago, Michael Phelps won his first-ever Olympic event, the 400 IM at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
At that time, Phelps was still a young phenom looking for his first taste of Olympic glory. He qualified for the 2000 Sydney Olympics at age 15, finishing 5th but not medaling. By 2001, he was setting world records and winning World titles, so he was far from an unknown entity by Athens in ’04. Still, the then-19-year-old Phelps was equally far from the icon he’d eventually become, based largely on his longevity in the sport.
Phelps has been retired (not counting his previous retirements that didn’t stick) for only three years now. Looking back to his first Olympic gold shows just how long the Phelps era was – the other medal winners from Athens are like names out of history books: Gary Hall, Jr., Pieter van den Hoogenband, Ian Thorpe, Grant Hackett, Aaron Peirsol and Kosuke Kitajima. Men were winning Olympic golds with 54-second backstrokes, breaststrokes over a minute and freestyles over 48 seconds.
Phelps’ competitive career not only spanned five Olympics and the better part of two decades, it also encompassed multiple generations of top international swimmers and saw vast changes in the sport.
In honor of the 15-year anniversary of Phelps first Olympic gold (the start of 23 career golds and 28 total Olympic medals), here’s a look back at some facts that were true as of the morning of August 14, 2004:
- The world record in the 400 IM was 4:08.41, set by Phelps at U.S. Olympic Trials. Over the past two years, he’d incrementally moved the record from 4:11.76, and over the next four, he’d lower the record four more times to 4:03.84.
- In the history of the sport, Phelps was the only man who had ever broken 1:54 or 1:55 in the 200 fly. In 2019 alone, seven men broke 1:55, and 39 men in history have done so.
- The most-decorated Olympian of all-time was Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals (9 of them gold) between 1956, 1960 and 1964. It would only take Phelps two Olympic Games’ to surpass her gold total, winning 14 between 2004 and 2008. He’d take over the overall medal lead during the 2012 Olympics, and ultimately finished with 10 more overall medals and 14 more golds than Latynina.
- FINA rules still disallowed any underwater dolphin kicks during breaststroke. Kitajima faced widespread criticism for appearing to use a dolphin kick underwater during his pullouts. The rule was amended in 2005 to allow a single downward dolphin kick off the start and turns.
Here is race video of that first Olympic gold of Phelps’ career:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VmPrqxC-sM8
Two non-Phelps things that stand out to me:
1. Laszlo Cseh, nuff said.
2. Rowdy’s commentary was legit good back in 2004. I know it gets old harping on him, but the difference between this race and his current commentary is really surprising. I miss old (younger) Rowdy.
I haven’t spoken with Rowdy, and can’t speak on his behalf, but if he felt underprepared for Worlds and Pan Ams, I think you should probably know that his mom died a few weeks before the World Championships. Just as it might for an athlete, that could have interrupted his preparation for the call.
That’s a very hard loss for anyone to take, and I’m sincerely sorry for his loss. I greatly respect what he did in the pool and what’s he’s done for the sport over the years, but my comment is not restricted to just this past summer. The last quad or two have been a world away from what we heard from him in this video.
We are a very niche (but mighty!) community, and more likely than not, as was the case with Tom and his insta post regard the piano joke, word gets around, and I can almost guarantee that Rowdy at least knows about the criticism surrounding his commentary. Just remember that everybody is a person, and Rowdy has done a great deal to help both the community of swimming and the community at large
What was Tom’s insta post regarding the piano?
I noticed that about Rowdy’s commentary as well. It was better back then. Maybe he was more motivated to prepare himself. And perhaps he’s lazier now. In the 2004 call, there were none of his currents tropes: 1) fifteen seconds of talking about competitors’ reaction times off the blocks; 2) swimmers’ drafting off the adjacent lane; and, 3) the direction each swimmer is breathing.
For one, he was still very serious about his own swimming 10 years ago. His USMS times from age 49-53 or so were sensational. Might have been more tuned in to the sport.
I hope seen Ryan Lochte 400IM Olympic final again 2020. Phelps is not find new motivation. I hope 2,5 years..
Lochte swam 400IM 4:05 london olympics and 4:06 US Olympic trials 2012. He will swim still 4:10. Ryan swam last year 4:15 in-season meet.
It’s incredible to think of the wave of swimming talent that began with this race. The Phelps effect was certainly a real thing, and certainly still is
What’s also nuts is that Phelps went 408 low here. That would have won worlds this year… and if you gave him a modern tech suit, and good blocks, plus the breaststroke dolphin kick that was illegal in 2004 (unless you were Kosuke), that’s easily a 4:06 low.
He still makes us all look like bunch of idiots
Outdoor pool as well. Not sure whether it affected opening night, but it was pretty breezy some of the swimming days in Athens.
Cseh would have won silver if he hadn’t broken his foot. It’s crazy how long he’s been in the game.
a few things that stood out to me / crossed my mind:
1) his looking to his right before the race, as if checking out / nervous of his competition. i can’t remember him ever doing that. it’s like after this race, he never gave anyone so much as a glance ever again.
2) his pure joy after the race. definitely the first time …
3) how pumped he was for vendt. don’t remember seeing that in any of his other individual events with another american in the heat.
4) how much i’d spent on a dvd series from nbc of all the international events of the first half or so of phelps prime ( 2001 – 2009… Read more »
Not behind the blocks but he gave Chad a bit of a stare down in the ready room in Rio.
He stares at Cavic in 09
What I remember most about that race was Erik Vendt raging the last 100 to go from out of the medals to the silver. He seemed to be out of it at the 200. Decent breast leg & then his freestyle coming home was off the charts.
I smell a comeback……