Op-Ed: Olympics — Phelps wins Medal No.19

London - After hearing all the premature talk focused on Michael Phelps' inability to continue his 2008 Olympic success, Phelps put all that talk to rest on Tuesday by winning his 19th career medal.

Phelps has not been the same swimmer that we saw in Athens in 2008, however his performance early on in these games cannot be deemed a failure. Phelps won two medals on Tuesday, a silver in the 200-meter butterfly and the record setting gold in the 4X200 relay. He's won 3 medals in total, which would be considered quite the accomplishment for any Olympic athlete. In setting an Olympic record for the most medals of all time, its hard to argue against the fact that Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time. Phelps's resume is astonishing. He's won 15 gold medals, which is another world record and he still has three more events to participate in before the games end. Phelps's career will end after these Olympics, however his medal count may not be finished as of yet. Phelps has a chance to get his total count into the 20's, a number that may be never touched in Olympic history. As his career concludes, one must forget about the fact that Phelps hasn't sustained his success from 2008 and cherish the final events in his career, as after all, we are witnessing history every time he steps into the pool.

London 2012

Michael Phelps after winning gold: Phelps of the United States celebrates after winning the gold in the Men's 4 x 200m Freestyle Relay final on Day 4 of the Games.

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