Michael Phelps is the 23 year old American swimmer who has taken the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing by storm. In his second quest for Olympic gold, Phelps has proven why he deserves to be there. Not only did he shatter Mark Spitz’s world record of seven gold medals in a single Olympics, but he made it look effortless while doing so.

Mark Spitz was the American swimmer who set a record in the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich (West Germany), by winning seven gold medals in a single game. Michael Phelps has set an individual world record in the 200-meter butterfly in under two minutes at 1:52.03. He and his American teammates also broke the world record in the 800 meter freestyle relay by completing that race in less than seven minutes at 6:58.56. In addition, Phelps and his teammate won the gold medal that broke Spitz’s record, in less than 3 minutes and 30 seconds (3:29.34). He has set seven world records in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

There is a buzz going around that Michael Phelps is the athlete who can carry the title as one of the “greatest athletes of all time”. On NBC’s The Today Show, Matt Lauer spoke with reporter Alan Abrahamson of NBCSports.com who has said that, “without question”, Phelps could easily carry that title. Michael Phelps’ determination to win is admired by most, in and out of the swimming pool. That comes from his mother Debbie Phelps, who is his biggest fan and raised him as a single parent in Baltimore, Maryland. He’s proof that if you believe and work hard, dreams do come true. On his website MichaelPhelps.com, he expresses how it’s always been his dream to be an Olympian…and that, he is. (Photo Source: Adam Pretty/Getty Images)

Article by Karyn Allen