Michael Phelps

At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Michael Phelps won 8 gold medals. Every gold medal performance set a new world record, except the 100-meter butterfly, which set an Olympic record. He also set the all-time single Olympics gold-medal record, surpassing swimmer Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven golds. This was Phelps’ 14th career gold medal, the most won by any Olympian.

In addition to his successful swim career, he written two books and co-founded the nonprofit organization, Swim with the Stars a program that holds camps for swimmers of all ages.