WHERE ARE THEY NOW? The stars of Sydney 2000, Michael Phelps' first Olympics

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With the Rio Olympics kicking off this week, Michael Phelps remains one of the biggest stars in all of the games.

Phelps, the most decorated Olympian in history, is going to be the first athlete to ever compete in five Olympics.

It's wild, then, to think that in Sydney, Australia in 2000, a 15-year-old Phelps was just kicking off his Olympic career.

Widely considered one of the better games in Olympic history, here's a look at where the stars of the 2000 Olympics are today.

Michael Phelps was 15 years old in the 2000 Olympics. He finished fifth in the 200-meter butterfly, his only event of the games.

Now 31, Phelps is the most decorated Olympian in history and is expected to medal again in Rio.

Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe won five medals, three of them gold, in 2000 as a 17-year-old.