Mark Spitz
Ryan Lochte
Stat by stat
Bars are scaled to the leader in this list.
The verdict
Dead even across the measured categories. Our all-time ranking places Mark Spitz at #3 and Ryan Lochte at #12.
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The case for Mark Spitz
For 36 years the standard by which all Olympic swimmers were judged. At the Munich 1972 Games, Spitz won seven gold medals in seven events, every single one in world-record time, a perfect performance not surpassed until Phelps in 2008. Across two Olympics he collected nine golds and 11 medals in total, and over his career he set 33 world records in freestyle and butterfly. He retired at just 22, at his peak, before the World Championships even existed (the first were held in 1973), which is why his title tally sits outside that column. His combination of sprint speed and butterfly power, and the sheer perfection of Munich, keeps him among the immortals despite his short career.
The case for Ryan Lochte
Phelps's great rival and, on his day, the only man who could beat him. Lochte won six Olympic gold medals and 12 Olympic medals overall across four Games, specialising in the individual medley and backstroke, and set world records in the 200m IM (1:54.00) and 200m backstroke. He was one of the most decorated swimmers in World Championship history, with 27 medals across long-course and short-course events, a testament to his range and durability. Fearsomely versatile, he pushed Phelps in the 200m and 400m IM and the 200m backstroke throughout their careers, often forcing world-record swims. A dominant medley racer whose reputation off the pool was later dented, Lochte's competitive record places him firmly among the greats.