There will be no “next Michael Phelps.” Calling Leon Marchand that is unfair.

PARIS — The term GOAT is used a lot in the sports world. Not always inadvertently, but often enough to diminish the original meaning of the greatest acronym of all time.

But in some cases, the GOAT title really does apply, and few would argue that Michael Phelps deserves that title. GOAT in swimming. GOAT in Olympics. In my opinion, only Simone Biles can rival him as the GOAT athlete.

The media and the swimming world in general must therefore stop presenting the latest rock star swimmer as “the next Michael Phelps”. There will never be another one – at least not in the lifetime of those reading these lines.

Five Olympic Games. An impressive 28 medals, including 23 gold. The most decorated Olympian of all time. An unprecedented record: eight gold medals in a single Olympic Games and 39 world records broken.

But the swimming world is too quick to attach that label to any swimmer who shows extreme promise or dominates an international event, and it’s simply unfair to Phelps and the swimmers who bear that moniker.

Over the years, and especially since Phelps retired after the 2016 Rio Games, many have been called “the next Michael Phelps.” At one point, it was American Caeleb Dressel. At the Paris Olympics, it’s Frenchman Leon Marchand.

“I remember laughing a little bit about it,” Dressel, a Toyota ambassador, told USA TODAY Sports on Tuesday. “It was an honor for me to be in the same category (as Phelps), but I also knew deep down … that was never my goal in sports.”

Dressel, 27, just finished his third Olympics and brought his medal count to 10: nine gold, one silver. That’s exceptional. That’s undeniably superstar level.

However, there is a huge difference between a superstar and “the next Michael Phelps,” and Dressel agreed, calling Phelps “not even a once-in-a-lifetime swimmer,” but “maybe a once-in-a-lifetime, I don’t know, end-of-the-world kind of guy.”

With a dominant showing in Paris, Marchand, the 22-year-old star who nearly brought down the Paris La Défense Arena every time he stepped onto the deck, is the latest swimmer to be hailed as “the next Michael Phelps.” Given Marchand’s astonishing versatility, it’s easy to see how some have made that leap.

After breaking Phelps’ last individual world record in the 400-meter medley last summer, Marchand won Olympic gold in the event. He also won gold in the 200-meter medley, 200-meter butterfly and 200-meter breaststroke, as well as bronze in the men’s medley relay. Those last two individual events, whose finals came on the same night, highlight Marchand’s versatility, as it’s rare to excel in both the butterfly and breaststroke.

Even Phelps on NBC described it as “probably the greatest double I’ve ever seen in the history of sports.” He’s right, it was remarkable.

But with five medals, including four gold, in two Olympics, Marchand is still a long way from Phelps’ orbit. But it certainly helps that the former Arizona State swimmer trains with Phelps’ longtime coach, Bob Bowman, following him around the United States in different programs, just as Phelps did.

“(Marchand) can be better,” Bowman said after the 400 medley final. “He hasn’t reached his potential.”

Phelps: “Records are made to be broken”

After his second Olympics in 2004, Phelps was 19 and had won eight medals, including six gold, and was four years removed from his eight Olympic gold medals in eight races, which broke famed swimmer Mark Spitz’s record of seven.

“If there is (another Michael Phelps), I know how much work it’s going to take to get there, especially in this day and age where people are really focused on one event,” Phelps said Monday.

“Everyone thought what I was trying to do was impossible. (…) Records are meant to be broken. The records I’ve chased throughout my career have motivated me, so hopefully I can motivate someone to do the same.”

Marchand has undeniable talent and is clearly capable of dedicating himself to endless hours of training and endless sacrifices. He will be 26 when Los Angeles 2028 takes place, and perhaps he will add even more events to the six he swam in Paris.

It would be incredible, and I hope Marchand continues to dominate. It would be great for the sport.

But to have any chance of catching Phelps, Marchand will have to continue to battle for years and avoid injuries. He will also likely have to stay mentally strong in a sport that can be isolating, especially at the top and especially after the Olympics.

The world is getting better

At the 2012 London Olympics, Phelps was far from his best, in a dark mental state and “hating” swimming. He nevertheless won four Olympic gold medals and two silver.

And let’s not forget Phelps’ truly unique physical attributes that helped make his many records and medals possible. At 6’4″, his disproportionate frame aided his hydrodynamics, including his long torso and irregular wingspan. His seemingly doubly jointed torso and ankles aided his kicking. Perhaps most important for a frantic succession of Olympic races, his body reportedly produces half the lactic acid of a typical athlete, an extraordinary aid to recovery.

He literally has a different build and even won a few races he shouldn’t have won.

As many swimmers, including Phelps, noted this week after the U.S. men’s team’s disappointing performance — by American standards — the rest of the world is catching up. The sport is growing and becoming more competitive globally, making another Phelps even less likely.

“The more I’ve been in the sport, the more Games I’ve been to, the more impressive it is,” Dressel said. “Every Games, to be this good and to dominate this much from 2000 to 2016, I can’t even imagine that.”

He added: “It’s exciting for people to read this, but we’ll never see another Michael… especially with the increasingly competitive nature of the sport.”

Marchand could do it, and it would be spectacular if he did. But there’s a reason Phelps is the GOAT, the true best of the best, the most decorated Olympian of all time. What he accomplished was more than exceptional; it was almost supernatural.

Those of us who saw it live should be grateful, because while it was an unprecedented event, it is equally unlikely that we will ever see it again. There are and will be plenty of swimming superstars, but there is no next Michael Phelps.

Contribution: Sandy Hooper

This article was originally published on USA TODAY: The Michael Phelps-Leon Marchand comparison just isn’t fair