Greatest Sporting Achievements

Biondi won a total of eleven Olympic medals, eight were gold. He also competed for the World Championships winning eleven medals, six were gold medals, and a record has since been matched by Michael Phelps. Matt Biondi’s won eighteen Pan Pacific medals and five Summer Universiade. He is a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame and the US Olympic Hall of Fame.

Why Was He So Good?

Nicknamed as “The California Condor”, Matt Biondi is known to be the man who won big and got out while he was still on top. He was trying to become the best but many people realized that he was the best, especially in the 1992 Olympics. Biondi was the fastest and he knew enough to take his time when it mattered. A physique junkie, he balanced life with an exhausting training regime that was paramount to his persistent accomplishment. He stayed humble and goodhearted even after his success.

What You May Not Know

• It was during Biondi was in senior year in high school that his sprinting ability was noticed. He was widely accepted as the fastest schoolboy swimmer in America. It was also due to him being a water polo player that he got noticed by colleges.
• In college, he worked four hours a day swimming and a couple more hours for weight training but finished with a 3.0 GPA
• He graduated from the University of California, Berkeley in 1988 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Economy of Industrialized Societies.
• Matt Biondi became a school teacher and swimming coach in Hawaii since he was a passionate mentor.

Credit: www.topendsports.com

Greatest Sporting Achievements

Ian Thorpe won five Olympic gold medals, three silver and one bronze. During the 2001 World Aquatics Championships, Thorpe became the first person to win six gold medals in one World Championship. He is the third-highest swimmer in terms of most gold medals won with eleven gold World Championships. From 1999 to 2003, he was recognized as the Australian Swimmer of the Year and was the first ever swimmer to have been named Swimming World Summer of the Year four times. Thorpe was also recognized as the Young Australian Athlete in 2000 and his athletic achievements made him one of the country’s most popular athletes.

Why Is He So Good?

Thorpe’s performance was labeled “extraordinary” and “superior” by Swimming World but Australian former head coach Don Talbot said that Thorpe depended on his kick profoundly, sacrificing his arms. Thorpe was acknowledged for his six-beat jolt to power away from his opponents in the finishing stages of championships, the success of which was credited to his size 17 feet.

What You May Not Know

• Ian Thorpe was initially allergic to chlorine but overcame it to compete hard and win international honors in swimming when he was only 14 years old.
• He held 22 world records in swimming.
• Ian Thorpe is a fluent French speaker.
• He was only 15 when he became the youngest gold medalist in World Championships history, winning the 400m freestyle race in 1998.
• In 2004, he created his own signature underwear line named “it”.
• Thorpe is an ambassador of Armani clothing and has his own line of jewelry.

 This article first appeared on www.topendsports.com