"I was speechless"- Michael Phelps reacts to being voted No. 1 on ESPN’s top 100 pro athletes of the 21st century

Michael Phelps was recently voted as ESPN's top pro athlete of the 21st century. The legendary American athlete was overwhelmed by the honor of being voted the best among some of the greatest athletes of this century.

Michael Phelps spoke about being voted No. 1 on ESPN’s top 100 pro athletes of the 21st century on the Pat McAfee show. The American athlete holds the record for being the most decorated Olympian, with a total of 28 medals under his belt.

Along with several accolades, Michael Phelps has broken several world records in his illustrious career, which spanned over four Olympic Games. Arguably, these statistics elevate him to be a legend in the sport. Phelps was elated to receive the honor of being named No. 1 on ESPN’s list of the top 100 pro athletes of the 21st century and shared his thoughts about the same on the Pat McAfee show.

"Without a question, you know for me, to be on a list with some of the greatest athletes of you know, our time, right, of our generation, of everything that we have seen and some of the greatest athletes of their respective sport. You know Messi, LeBron, Serena, Brady, Federer, Simone Biles, White Mamba, Kobe, Katie Ledecky, Usain, Tiger," he said.

"You think these are some of the biggest sports icons on the planet. So, to be voted no 1, you know, I was speechless. Like, this is awesome," he added.

Michael Phelps' top performances in the Beijing Olympics

Swimming Training Session Day Seven - 14th FINA World Championships

Michael Phelps is known worldwide as the holder of many world records and titles, including multiple Olympic medals. He demonstrated great value as a swimmer throughout his illustrious career.

The American participated in the Beijing Olympics in 2008, which was his third consecutive Olympics. Phelps' determination and performance in the finals of the 400 individual medley, which broke the previous world record with a time of 4:03.84 to win the gold medal, stood out as one of his best performances at the quadrennial Games.

At the same Olympic Games, his gold medal-winning performance in the 200-meter butterfly final is considered to be one of the best races of his career due to a very unusual incident.

At the beginning of the 200-meter butterfly finals, water got into his goggles, making it hard for him to see as he swam toward the finish line. Even with this obstacle, he managed to break the world record with a time of 1:52.03 and win the gold medal.