"Different category" - Michael Phelps' Olympics achievements lauded by ex-teammate Ryan Lochte

Michael Phelps is widely considered to be the best swimmer of all time, and his medal count certainly seems to agree. Recently, Phelps' compatriot and ex-teammate Ryan Lochte was left suitably impressed by the former's Olympic exploits and shared some words of praise for the legend.

Phelps, who attended every Olympics between 2000 and 2016, is widely known even outside of the swimming world for his phenomenal medal hauls. In his four Games, the American collected a total of 28 medals, 23 of which were gold. Not only does this make him the most successful individual Olympian, but it also means he has more podium finishes than 174 Olympic countries.

Meanwhile, Ryan Lochte is tied with Natalie Coughlin, Dara Torres, and Jenny Thompson as the joint second-most successful swimmer at the Olympics in terms of total medals won. Hailing from New York, the 39-year-old has 12 Olympic medals to his name.

Recently, Lochte took to his Instagram stories to heap praise on Michael Phelps, sharing a list of the most decorated male swimmers at the Olympic Games. Phelps was naturally on top of the list, with more than double the medals of the person after him.

Loche captioned the picture:

“@m_phelps was just in a different category than everyone. Mad props”.

Via Ryan Lochte's Instagram Story

Phelps returned the love, reposting Lochte’s story and writing:

“Thx homie. Loved racing you”

Via Michael Phelps' Instagram story

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Michael Phelps on parenting and mental health

Alongside being a dominant force in the pool, Michael Phelps has also long been an advocate for mental issues. The swimmer, who has spoken openly about his struggles with depression and anxiety over the years, recently shared how his approach to parenting is influenced by his hardships.

Phelps, who is married to ex-model Nicole Phelps, has three sons — Boomer, Beckett, and Maverick — and is expecting a fourth in February 2024.

Speaking to Today.com last month, the swimmer noted that he wants to encourage his kids to voice they're emotions instead of suppressing them.

“Let's just be ourselves and ... voice our struggles and emotions that we're going through instead of compartmentalizing them. I want to create that generational shift where instead of compartmentalizing and shoving these things down, we're opening up and talking about them.”

The 38-year-old American also shared how he and his wife taught their sons the 'Lion Breath' to give the kids a tool to healthily express themselves.

"We implemented the 'lion breath' with them a couple of years back. The lion breath is basically just a deep breath and you get to roar as loud as you can.”