Was Michael Phelps vs Ryan Lochte the greatest rivalry in swimming? Duels explored

Over his long career, Phelps faced many worthy adversaries. Some appeared early on during his career, attempting to disrupt a young Phelps' rise to the top. This includes Australian veteran Ian 'Thorpedo' Thorpe, who dominated the 400-meter freestyle until 2004.

Other honorable mentions include fellow American Ian Crocker and South African swimmer Chad Le Clos. However, nobody comes close to the American heartthrob, Ryan Lochte, who along with Phelps, produced the greatest rivalry in swimming history.

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Phelps vs Lochte rivalry explored

All individual sports always develop some great rivalries due to their competitive nature. Tennis had the age-old Federer-Nadal classic, boxing had Frazer-Ali and Robinson-LaMotta. The beautiful thing about rivalries is that they provide a story. A story that speaks on style, attitude, and philosophy that provides a very high entertainment value. All these criteria were met by swimming's greatest rivalry, Phelps vs Lochte.

Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte celebrate at the 2004 Olympics

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, everyone saw the headline-dominating rise of Michael Phelps as he rapidly came into his own. The spotlight was heavily focused on Phelps' six gold medals but a young Lochte was also on the rise in Athens. Lochte finished second behind Phelps in the 200-meter Individual Medley (IM) and swam a vital second leg to help team USA topple Australia's streak in the 800-meter freestyle relay.

Over the next four years, this quickly became a pattern: Phelps the front runner, and Lochte the man chasing him. By 2009, Phelps' record over Lochte had gone up to 12-0. Lochte, at the time, was a swimmer who would've been once-in-a-generational if he swam in any other era.

Olympics, 2008 (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)

Through 2008, Lochte's progress was clearly visible, having reduced his swim times significantly. At the 2007 World Championships, Lochte set a new world record in the 200-meter backstroke, beating Aaron Peirsol's six-year streak. He is well-known today for being a giant slayer.

"A lot of people look at Michael and think he can’t be beaten. That’s not me. I know I can beat him. That’s that competitive edge that I have. I never feel like I’m going to lose, no matter who I’m racing. I always feel like I can win," said Lochte.

In 2010, Lochte's strong mentality helped him achieve his biggest feat yet. At the US Nationals that year, Lochte beat Phelps by over a second in the 200-meter IM, breaking Phelps' dominant win streak over him.

His mentality proved strong once again heading into the 2011 Worlds. Lochte bested Phelps in the 200-meter freestyle and the 200-meter IM. Apart from beating Phelps at his own game, Lochte won four individual golds at the Worlds. For the heights he achieved that year, he rose to the level of swimmer of the year.

Lochte and Phelps swim at the Rio Olympics, 2016

The losses were not taken lightly by a Phelps who was accustomed to the taste of victory. Leading up to the 2012 Olympics, Lochte beat Phelps in the trials for the 400 individual medley. The underdog then won the 400 meter Olympic final, while Phelps surprisingly finished off-podium. However, Phelps bested his foe in the 200 IM finals and grabbed the top spot.

Phelps then set out on his first retirement run. In Phelps' absence, Lochte dominated various events at the Worlds that followed. Phelps' return set up a final battle between the two Americans.

At the 2016 Rio Olympics, the 200 IM finals saw Phelps dominate the race and Lochte finish off-podium.