RIO DE JANEIRO • In the same way the Christ the Redeemer statue dominates the Rio skyline, so does Michael Phelps now transcend swimming.

It did not require one final gold medal on Saturday in the 4x100 medley relay - his 23rd gold and 28th Olympic medal - to reinforce his status as the most decorated Olympian of all time, but he delivered it anyway.

The outstretched arms of Phelps will encourage swimmers to aim higher for as long as there is water on the surface of the earth.

The chances of any other male athlete from any sport eclipsing Phelps's tally are not so much remote as they are inconceivable.

Maybe the remarkable Katie Ledecky, still only 19, will move into similarly rarified territory but she will have to dig extraordinarily deep over the next dozen years to do so.

The phenomenal Phelps has taken the art of winning to a level beyond human imagination.

His 23rd gold also took him to a personally significant mark; his great hero Michael Jordan always wore that number for the Chicago Bulls.

"Twenty-three is a special number," he admitted. "It always has been and now it'll be even more special.

"I guess everything happens for a reason. Watching what he did in basketball is something I've always dreamt of doing in the sport of swimming."

It made his last competitive Olympic swim all the more satisfying.

"It's just the perfect way to finish. This is the cherry on the top of the cake that I wanted. I couldn't be happier with the way things ended," the 31-year-old said.

His long-time coach Bob Bowman is already convinced there will never be another swimmer quite like him.

"Absolutely not. I'm not even looking. He's too special," said Bowman.

"It's not even once in a generation. It might be once in 10 generations that someone like Michael comes along. I don't think you're going to be seeing another Michael."

For his last hurrah, Phelps, watched by fiancee Nicole and baby son Boomer, was typical Phelps: the menacing hoodied, headphoned entry followed by the almost inevitable golden outcome, a shared Olympic record and a familiar podium salute.

He was more emotional than usual before the race, however, as his team-mate Ryan Murphy later confirmed. "You could see the tears in his eyes as we were walking over to the medal ceremony. He was super emotional," said the Rio backstroke king.

"If this is the end for him, that was a great way to cap off an incredible career. He's opened a lot of doors for all of us.

"Whoever you swim for, you're indebted to Michael Phelps."

THE GUARDIAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE