Michael Phelps finished fifth in the 200-metre butterfly at Sydney 2000.
Phelps reached the final as a 15-year-old Olympic newcomer and completed the race in 1:56.50. That placed him fifth in the eight-man final, behind champion Tom Malchow of the United States, Ukraine’s Denys Sylantyev, Australia’s Justin Norris, and Russia’s Anatoly Polyakov.
The result was not a medal, but it was an important early milestone. Phelps returned to the same event at four later Olympics and won gold each time: Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016. His performance in Sydney therefore became the starting point of an extraordinary run in the event rather than evidence that he immediately dominated it.
The placing can also be confused with his semifinal result. Phelps was third in his semifinal, qualifying for the final, but fifth overall after the championship race. Stephen Parry of Great Britain finished sixth, only behind Phelps in the final standings.