Michael Phelps' Second-Place Finish in 200m Fly Race Is a Failure

The greatest Olympian ever shouldn’t be satisfied with a second-place race finish.

And that’s exactly what Michael Phelps is. On Tuesday, he surpassed Larisa Latynina for the most medals in Olympic history after winning silver in the 200-meter fly and gold in the 4 x 200-meter freestyle. But even before the 2012 London Summer Olympics began, he boasts 14 gold medals—the most first-place finishes by far.

If he’s already without a doubt the greatest Olympian of all-time, though, why is finishing second that big of a deal? Former Team USA superstar swimmer Josh Davis tweeted after Phelps’ victory:

"

I hope America gives @michaelphelps the opportunity to be proud of a silver medal. That's still a huge accomplishment. #London2012

— Josh Davis (@JoshDavis_USA) July 31, 2012"

Well, Josh, his performance was a failure because he didn’t leave everything in the pool.

Paul Carr of ESPN tweeted this fun fact about Phelps dominance in the 200-meter fly over the past decade.

"

The last time Michael Phelps lost the 200m fly final at a major meet (Oly or worlds) was the 2000 Olympics.

— Paul Carr (@PCarrESPN) July 31, 2012"

That historic streak didn’t end because other swimmers were more talented than Phelps. Hardly. He simply wasn’t as hungry as South Africa's Chad le Clos who won gold.

Jen Floyd Engel of FOX Sports reported back in May that Phelps struggled with motivation after winning eight gold medals in Beijing. He admitted:

"

The last three years of my training has not gone too well, my performances have not been too great…After 2008, I just didn’t want to do it…I didn’t want to put the work in. I did not come to practice. It did not excite me. I was just going through the motions.

"

In competition, athletes are taught from an early age that as long as they give their all, the outcome doesn’t matter. But is there a certain amount of success that provides an elite talent with leeway to not give 110 percent?

No way.

Right now, Phelps has 15 gold medals. With his legendary ability, if he had maintained his competitive edge, he could’ve surpassed 20 this summer. To put that into perspective, no other Olympian has won more than nine.

If Phelps is cool with not fulfilling his potential, then he’ll sleep well tonight. But just know that while he’s the greatest Olympian to ever grace the planet, he was a fire in his belly away from setting a gold medal record that would've never been approached.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer.

Follow @TheRealDDaniels