Michael Phelps Olympic Meme Wins Internet Gold

Michael Phelps’ pre-race attempt to psyche out a rival quickly turned into the meme of the Olympics so far.

Not Available Lead
Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

Not Available Lead

Michael Phelps may be the most decorated Olympian of all time, but that doesn't mean that Twitter is above having a little fun at his expense.

On Monday, Phelps was waiting for the semifinals of the 200 meter butterfly when Chad Le Clos of South Africa, who defeated Phelps in that very same event in 2012, decided to spend his pre-race time standing directly in front of his rival. This attempt at intimidation caused Phelps to put on a very serious game face, which was caught by NBC cameras. 

From there, the memes started flying.

Very soon, takes on the meme became weird and meta.

To learn more about Michael Phelps and other Olympic hopefuls, visit Teamusa.org. The Olympics begin Aug. 5 on NBC.

Latest in Sports