In 2004, Michael Phelps tried to match Mark Spitz’s record of seven Olympic swimming gold medals at a single Games.
Spitz set the record at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where he won seven gold medals in swimming. Each victory came with a world record, making the achievement one of the defining performances in Olympic history.
Phelps entered the 2004 Athens Olympics with eight events on his schedule and a realistic chance to surpass Spitz. He won six gold medals and two bronze medals. His attempt to win all eight ended when he finished third in the 200-meter freestyle, a race won by Ian Thorpe.
Phelps ultimately surpassed Spitz four years later at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He won eight gold medals there, breaking the single-Games record and becoming the first swimmer to achieve that total. The 2004 campaign therefore fell short of the record, but it established Phelps as its leading challenger.