Gold medals are a pretty cool thing to accumulate and make space for on the shelf and every collection has to start with that first piece.

Or race.

Michael Phelps, competing in the 400m Individual Medley (as seen above) at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, started his gold medal legacy. And with a world record, no less. That’s just crazy impressive. The greatest swimmer in the sport’s history, by every modern standard and measure, has been dominating in the pool and with casual sports fans alike for a dozen years. Perhaps the most surreal reality, however, is that Michael Phelps isn’t finished in Rio.

His pursuit for gold continues.

Simply put: Michael Phelps is defining his own Gold Rush era with his stellar performances spanning the past few summer Olympics.

The Rolling Michael Phelps Gold Medal Count: 22.