“One of my favorite races of all time” - Michael Phelps revisits his first-ever Olympic gold medal in 2004

Legendary swimmer Michael Phelps revisited the race that got him his first-ever Olympic gold medal. The 38-year-old remembered the 400m Individual Medley final from the 2004 Athens Olympics. He described it as his “favorite race" and also mentioned swimmer Erik Vendt who came second to him.

After finishing at the fifth spot at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, Michael Phelps returned stronger at the 2004 Athens Olympics. That year, the 'Baltimore Bullet' bagged six Olympic gold medals and two bronze.

One of the events in which he won the gold was the 400m Individual Medley. Not only did he claim gold but also became a world record holder with his timing of 4:08.26. Phelps was three seconds faster than the second-placed swimmer, Erik Vendt.

Remembering his memorable Olympic performance, the American sporting icon shared its video on his Instagram story and captioned it with these words:

"One of my fav races of all time… 1-2 w Vendt!!"

Phelps's Instagram story

Apart from the 400m IM, Phelps won gold medals in the 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m IM, 4x200m freestyle, and 4x100m medley events.

Before competing at the 400m IM with his compatriot, Vendt, the duo had competed at the 2002 US Nationals in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. In that race, the legendary swimmer achieved first place, setting the world record with his timing.

Phelps and Vendt at Men's 400m Individual Medley Final

Phelps swam to break Tom Dolan’s WR of 4:11.76 from the 2000 Olympic Games. He clocked 4:11.09 to become the new world record holder. Nevertheless, Vendt, who came second in that race, managed to break Dolan’s timing too, by clocking 4:11.27.

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Michael Phelps on how he stayed focused in the presence of strong competitors

Michael Phelps at Beijing Olympics: Swimming

Michael Phelps achieved near-immortal status in the sporting world at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The swimmer broke Mark Spitz's record by bagging eight gold medals in a single Olympic Games. Indeed, his performance was a clear result of his dedicated hard work and impeccable capability to focus on his goals.

In the aftermath of the Olympics, Phelps appeared in an interview with Harry Smith of CBS in 2008. In that show, one of the viewers asked him how he maintained his composure without being psyched out by tough competitors. To that, Phelps answered:

"When I go to a meet and when I compete, I step up on the block and I'm focused on what I've to do. I try not to really get caught up in what everybody else is doing."

He stated that he never got psyched out. In fact, he would wear headphones before the competition which would help him stay relaxed and focused.

The 2008 Olympics weren't the end of the Phelps legend. He competed again in the 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. He ended up with 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them gold, an unmatched feat in the history of the Summer Games.