Michael Phelps holds the record for the most ever Olympic medals with 21. In upcoming Olympics people are going to question can Phelps record ever be broken? How many years is it going to take for another competitor to break Phelps record? In this article we will attempt to answer theses questions. We have done the math, broken down the events, and have come up with event combos that could break Phelps Olympic record.

Women’s Events

Sport	Events	Total Possible Medals
Diving	3m Spring, 10m Platform, Synchronized 3m Spring, Synchronized 10m Platform	4
Gymnastics	Vault, Uneven Bars, Balance Beam, Floor, All-Around, Team,	6
Track & Field	100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m, 10,000m	7
Swimming	50m Freestyle, 100m Free, 200m Free, 400m Free, 1500m Free, 100m Back, 200m Back, 100m Breast, 200m Breast, 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly, 200m Individual Medley, 400m Individual medley, 4x100m Free Relay, 4x200m Free Relay, 4×100 Medley, 10km Marathon	17

When we take a look at the events women can compete in to try to break Phelps record we have to think about how many events can a women actually compete in and medal. For this example we are going to use American swimmer Missy Franklin. Missy Franklin swam in seven events in her first Olympics. Franklin came away with five medals, four golds and one bronze. For Franklin to break Phelps record she would have to swim in three more Olympics, winning eight medals in the next two Olympics to set herself up for a shot at history.

Men’s Events

Sport	Events	Total Possible Medals
Diving	3m Spring, 10m Platform, Synchronized 3m Spring, Synchronized 10m Platform	4
Gymnastics	Team, All-Around, Floor Exercise, Pommel Horse, Rings, Vault, Parallel Bars, Horizontal Bars	7
Track & Field	100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1,500m, 5,000m, 10,000m	7
Swimming	50m Freestyle, 100m Free, 200m Free, 400m Free, 1500m Free, 100m Back, 200m Back, 100m Breast, 200m Breast, 100m Butterfly, 200m Butterfly, 200m Individual Medley, 400m Individual medley, 4x100m Free Relay, 4x200m Free Relay, 4×100 Medley, 10km Marathon	17

The men’s stats breakdowns the exact same as the women give or take. Men can possibly compete in more Olympic events due to stamina. It would take a minimum of four Olympics winning 6 or more medals in each of the four Olympics to break Phelps record.