"This was everything that I wanted to do, and everything I dreamed of."
Michael Phelps to Bob Costas during NBC Olympics Primetime Coverage

Michael Phelps set the record for most gold medals in a single Olympics, winning his eighth gold medal of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games as a member of the winning American 4x100 medley relay team.

Phelps eclipses the record previously held by fellow American Mark Spitz for most Olympic Gold Medals in a single Olympiad. Swimmer Mark Spitz won seven golds at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich.

Prior to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Michael Phelps rewrote the record books by winning seven gold medals while shattering 5 world records at the 2007 FINA World Championships.

Phelps' performance at the 2007 World Championships was arguably the greatest individual performance of any swimmer.

The only question now is what can be said of Phelps' amazing performance at the 2008 Beijing Games. The answer is simple ...

Dissecting his performance at the 2007 World Championships and removing the word "arguably" and replacing the word "swimmer" with "athelete," you get the following:

The greatest individual performance of any athlete EVER.

Phelps' dominance at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics goes beyond the 8 Olympic golds as he also set 7 new world records and 1 Olympics record (100 meter butterfly).

2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Individual Swimming Events

2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Relay Team Swimming Events

NBC SWIMMING ANALYST ROWDY GAINES ON PHELPS' 8TH GOLD MEDAL:

"The sport of swimming will never be the same. The name Michael Phelps will be synonymous with perfection."

NBC SWIMMING PLAY-BY-PLAY COMMENTATOR DAN HICKS ON PHELPS' 8TH GOLD MEDAL:

"Eight for eight. And in the 112-year history of the modern Olympic Games, more than 100,000 athletes have competed, in Summer and Winter Games, only one has won eight gold medals in a single Olympics.
"That is the kind of feat that just may never be surpassed and certainly one of the greatest feats of sports history"

HANSEN TO NBC SWIMMING REPORTER ANDREA KREMER ON PHELPS' EIGHT GOLD MEDALS:

"What he did today, and what he did this entire week, beats the Tour de France, beats the pressure putt at the U.S. Open… you know, it beats every part of what sport is. … and when you do something like that, I mean, you gotta tip your hat off to him. Every single athlete in the world right now needs to tip their hat off to Michael Phelps, because what he did this week was absolutely amazing."

PHELPS TO KREMER:

"I'm at more of a loss of words than yesterday. It shows how much teamwork and how much togetherness we have. It was a great experience for me and something I'll have forever."

BOB COSTAS INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL PHELPS on NBC's Primetime Olympic Coverage:

Costas: In case you're not aware, Mr. and Mrs. America, I'd like to introduce you to Michael Phelps. He's a pretty good swimmer. He's had a pretty good Olympic Games. You don't even appear winded. You did exactly and fully what you came here to do. We got the immediate reaction with Andrea Kremer afterwards. A few more minutes for it to sink in, any perspective at all?

Phelps: (Pause) No.

Costas: (Laughter) There it is.

Phelps: I'm still at a loss for words. This was everything that I wanted to do, and everything I dreamed of. And, it's an amazing feeling. I do want to say that it wouldn't have been possible without the help from my teammates. They were a huge help to my success.

Costas: Let's tick them off here. As in, not make them angry, we don't want to tick them off, we want to tick off their names here. In the 4x100 free, Garrett Weber-Gale, Cullen Jones and of course Jason Lezak with the epic last leg. In the 4x200 free, Ryan Lochte, Ricky Berens and Peter Vanderkaay, and just now Aaron Peirsol, Brendan Hansen and Lezak again, that's three of the eight.

Phelps: I guess starting off from the 400 free relay, you guys saw our reaction and how emotional and excited we were. And then the 800 free, we wanted to break seven minutes, and we went out and broke seven minutes. Tonight we wanted to end on a good note. Those relays are ours. The 400 medley relay is ours, and we wanted to keep it in our country, and we wanted to keep the world record. It was a good race. We went out there, and we put four swims and broke the world record and had one of the best times we've had all week.

Costas: You're aware, I guess, because Andrea mentioned it to you and we showed it for a moment earlier, that in your hometown of Baltimore where the Ravens played a preseason game tonight against the Vikings, the fans stayed around after the game ended. They showed it on the big screen and they went nuts.

Phelps: I was actually talking about that with my teammates this morning, with Peirsol and Brendan and Lezak this morning. I was like, this is going to be live at Ravens Stadium after the game. Almost 70,000 people screaming. It's cool. I'm excited to go home. I can't wait to see a football game. That's one of the biggest things I'm looking forward to when I get home.

Costas: Ian Thorpe was in the house. You're a bit like Michael Jordan in this respect. Jordan would extract motivation from any situation. He would even somehow identify a perceived slight from an intended complement. So, whether it's Thorpe or it's Cavic or whether it was Alain Bernard earlier, if it's there, if it's something real or imaginary that can get under your skin, you'll use it.

Phelps: Oh yeah. I said yesterday I welcome any comments. All they do is fire me up, and all they do for America is fire us up. Before the relay we were fired up, and that made just made us more fired up and fueled us even more to get ready to swim. I always welcome it, and I love when people say that somebody can't do something because you want to go out there and prove it that much more.

Costas: It was actually reasonable what Thorpe said, because if I've got it right, he wasn't so much saying it's impossible. He was saying it's highly unlikely because there are so many variables including the three that are relay events.

Phelps: I guess everything had to go perfect. We had to have a great last leg in the 4x100 free. I had to win by 0.01 in the 100 fly. It's a little bit of everything. Everything had to fall perfectly into place, and I was able to have probably the best week of my life.

Costas: Somebody told me about an hour ago that this week on facebook...

Phelps: Oh my gosh, it's crazy.

Costas: You've gone by Michael Jordan, Manchester United, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer. But it doesn't stop there. You've gone by the Jonas Brothers, you've gone by Miley Cirus you've gone by Justin Timberlake. You swept the board.

Phelps: I checked it one day and I checked it two days later, and I had like 2,800 in one day, and then I went back on two days later and had like 7,600 friend requests. I can't accept anymore, but I have those sitting in my box.

Costas: And of course, you consider them all close personal friends, and you'll respond to them all in due time.

Phelps: Of course, of course.

Costas: Also, you got Will Smith by the way. You moved past Will Smith, at least for the time being.

Phelps: It's cool. I'm having fun. That's all I've wanted to do.

 

Between Athens & Beijing, Michael Phelps has won a total of 16 Olympic swimming medals.

In addition to the 8 gold medals at the Beijing Summer games, Michael Phelps won six gold and two bronze at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics.

 

Olympic Champion Michael Phelps of the USA and Speedo LZR Racer swimsuit

 

Michael Phelps Athens 2004 Acheivements

Individual Events

Relay Team Events

Michael Phelps Beijing 2008 Gold Medals

Individual Events

Relay Team Events

Related:

Michael Phelps on Winning His 8 Gold Medals, the USA Swim Team, His Support & Motivation at Beijing
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: Michael Phelps Interview

After surpassing Mark Spitz' performance of winning seven Gold medals in one Olympic Games with eight of his own, Michael Phelps says that he is ready to get more gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

 

 

 

2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

NBC 2008 Beijing Olympics Set Record as Most-Viewed Event in US TV History.
Beijing 2008 Summer Olympics NBC Television Ratings

NBC Universal's Beijing Olympic coverage was viewed by more Americans than any event in U.S. television history, according to data provided by Nielsen Media Research. NBCU's coverage reached 214 million total viewers, shattering the previous mark set by the 1996 Atlanta Olympics (209M) by five million viewers and surpassing the 2004 Athens Games (203M) by 11 million viewers.

 

Kenya's Samuel Kamau Wansiru Sets New Olympic Record to Win Beijing Olympics Marathon.
Men's Olympic Marathon: Samuel Kamau Wansiru Gold, Jaouad Gharib Silver, Tsegay Kebede Bronze

Samuel Kamau Wansiru of Kenya set a new Olympic Record in the marathon with a time of 2:06:32 to win the Beijing Olympics Marathon. Wansiru is the first marathoner representing Kenya to ever win a Men's Marathon at the Olympics.

Olympics Women's Soccer: United States Defeats Brazil 1 - 0 to Capture Back-to-Back Olympic Golds
USA Olympic Team Captain Christine Rampone & Teammates Give Views on Winning Gold Medal

The United States defeated Brazil by a score of 1 - 0 in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics women's soccer final. The only goal of the match coming in the sixth minute of extra time (96') from Carli Lloyd. Lloyd blasted a left-footed shot from outside the box that caught the lower left-hand corner of the goal.

Marathoners Jaouad Gharib & Mubarak Hassan Shami Preview 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Men's Marathon
Men's Marathon at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

This year's Olympic Marathon is even more difficult to predict given the deep field of highly talented runners which is compounded by the summer heat, humidity and often-talked about Beijing pollution.

If Beijing's pollution is to play a part in these Olympics, the Men's Olympic Marathon race is the likeliest of candidates to be impacted.

Oddly enough, the fastest time run in an Olympics Marathon was at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. Los Angeles is known for its notorious smog conditions.

Cuban Olympian Dayron Robles Shares his Impressions on Men's Hurdles Gold Medal and the Absence of China's Liu Xiang
Cuban Olympian Dayron Robles Wins Men's 110 meter Hurdles at 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Dayron Robles claimed Olympic gold in the 110m hurdles in Beijing. The 110-meters hurdles event took place without former World record holder and Athens 2004 Summer Olympics Gold Medalist Liu Xiang of China who pulled out due to injury. Robles went on to comfortably win the gold medal, posting a time of 12.93 seconds in the Men's 110-meter hurdles final.

Olympics Women's Gymnastics: American Nastia Liukin Leaves Beijing with 5 Medals
USA Women's Gymnast Nastia Liukin Celebrates Her 5 Gymnastics Medals

Nastia Liukin earned her fifth Olympic medal, a silver medal in the balance beam final, on August 19 at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Nastia's most impressive victory was in the much coveted women's individual all-around gold medal. She barely beat fellow American Shawn Johnson by 0.6 points.

Germany's Britta Heidemann Shares her Impressions on Fencing Gold Medal
Germany's Britta Heidemann Wins Womens Individual Epee Fencing at 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Germany’s fencing gold medalist Britta Heidemann is something of a celebrity in China, having spent three months here at the age of 15. A Chinese student at Cologne University, the 26 year old became the centre of media attention when she fielded press conference questions in Chinese at the Beijing Olympics. Fans have affectionately named her ‘little moon.’

8-time Gold Medalist Michael Phelps

American Swimmer Michael Phelps Wins 8th Gold Medal
Strokes His Way to History at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Michael Phelps set the record for most gold medals in a single Olympics, winning his eighth gold medal of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games as a member of the winning American 4x100 medley relay team.

 

100-Meter Hurdles Silver Medalist Sally McLellan of Australia: 'It's Just so Exciting for Me'
Australia's Sally McLellan Silver Medalist Women's 100-meter Hurdles at 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Australia's Sally McLellan surprisingly won a silver medal in the women's 100 metres hurdles at the Beijing Olympics. Sally's pure joy and refreshing celebration at the end of the 100 meter hurdle finals with bronze medalist Priscilla Lopes-Schliep of Canada has touched many. In Australia, she has become the darling of the country and achieved instant celebrity status.

Great Britain's Christine Ohuruogu Winning Women's Olympic 400-meter Gold Has Not Sunk in Yet
Christine Ohuruogu Wins 400 meters at 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

While winning the Olympic 400-meter gold medal has not sunk in yet, Christine Ohuruogu of Great Britain says she is 'very happy.' Christine Ohuruogu is the first British woman to win the Olympic 400 meters.

Olympic Record Breaking Britta Steffen: 'I Swam With my Eyes Closed'
Double Gold Medal Winning Swimmer Britta Steffen of Germany

Olympic Record breaking and double gold medal winning Britta Steffen of Germany says she swam the first 50 meters of the 100m Freestyle final with her eyes closed to avoid being distracted by her opponents.

Chris Hoy of Great Britain Wins 3 Gold Medals in Cycling; First Brit to Win 3 Gold Medals in a single Olympics
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: Men's Cycling Gold Medalist

Having made Olympic history, Great Britain's cycling star Chris Hoy said he felt like he was in a dream. Chris Hoy became the first British athlete in 100 years to win three gold medals in a single Olympics. During the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics, Chris Hoy won gold medals in the men's sprint, the team sprint and the Keirin event.

Great Britain's Cycling Gold Medalist Victoria Pendleton: "It's Something Completely Special"
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: Women's Track Cycling Gold Medalist

Victoria Pendleton defeated Anna Meares of Australia to earn her Olympic gold medal in the women's track cycling sprint finals. The 27-year-old explains in her interview that without the disappointment of the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics, she wouldn’t have modified her training program for the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

Argentina vs. Nigeria 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Soccer Finals
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: Men's Soccer Final Argentina vs. Nigeria

In an interview ahead of Saturday's Soccer Olympic final, Nigerian football coach Samson Siasia believes Nigeria can win the gold medal

Spitz Comparisons Motivated Phelps to Achieve Record
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: Mark Phelps Interview on Mark Spitz Achievement as Motivation

After winning a record eight gold medals in one Olympics, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps says he was partially motivated by people saying no one could ever duplicate Mark Spitz’s achievement.

Nelson Evora of Portugal Wins Men’s Triple Jump
2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Gold Medal: Nelson Evora Men's Triple Jump

Nelson Evora won the men's triple jump at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Evora won the gold medal with a jump of 17.67 meters beating silver medalist Phillips Idowu of Great Britain by 5 centimeters (17.62 meters). Leevan Sanders of the Bahamas won the bronze medal with a triple jump of 17.59 meters. This is the first Olympic Gold Medal in 12 years for Portugal and only the third gold medal for Portugal in Track & Field ever.

Michael Phelps on Winning His 8 Gold Medals, the USA Swim Team, His Support & Motivation at Beijing
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: Michael Phelps Interview

After surpassing Mark Spitz' performance of winning seven Gold medals in one Olympic Games with eight of his own, Michael Phelps says that he is ready to get more gold medals at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games in London.

Russian Pole Vaulter Yelena Isinbayeva Wins Gold, Sets New World Record
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics Gold Medalist

Yelena Isinbayeva -- who has dominated women's pole vaulting since wining at the 2004 Athens Summer Olympics -- said she did not want to disappoint her fans by only winning the gold medal and not breaking her own world record at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

100 Meter Sprinter Derrick Atkins of the Bahamas is 'Beyond Hungry' for Gold
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Despite finishing second in the 2007 World Championships (Osaka, Japan) with a time 9.91 seconds, Derrick Atkins is not considered a favorite to medal in the 100 meters at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Leading up to the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics the focus on the 'World's Fastest Man' Title has been on Tyson Gay, Usain Bolt and Asafa Powell. Derrick Atkins makes a great case as to why he should not be merely an afterthought in the Men's 100 meters.

2004 Olympic Men's 400 Meter Champion Jeremy Wariner is Excited to Get Closer to the First Round
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

One month after losing to fellow American LaShawn Merritt in the US Olympic trials in July, two-time Olympic and World Champion 400 meter runner Jeremy Wariner talks about Merritt, his mental preparations for the event and how he plans to defend the 400m gold medal he won in Athens.

Women's 200 Meter Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica: "Everybody in the Final is a Contender"
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Olympic 200 meter Champion Veronica Campbell-Brown explains that Allyson Felix will be her main rival for the Olympic crown but also that everybody who makes it to the final has a good chance of winning.

American 100 Meter Sprinter Darvis Patton: "Usain Bolt is a Freak of Nature"
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

America's Darvis Patton shares his thoughts on his chances of medal at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics ahead of the 100 meter final on August 16. His expected competitors for the gold medal are World Champion Tyson Gay, former world record holder Asafa Powell and Jamaica’s Usain Bolt, who Patton has described as a ‘freak of nature’.

American Pole Vaulter Jennifer Stuczynski: "I Will Clear the Same Heights as Yelena Isinbayeva"
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

America's Jennifer Stuczynski says it's only a matter of time before she is clearing the same heights as the Olympic and World Record holder Yelena Isinbayeva of Russia.

100 Meters Sprinter Asafa Powell Looks to be Peaking Just in Time
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

With 3 consecutive victories on the Grand Prix Circuit in the Men's 100 meters, Asafa Powell appears to have emerged as the favorite to win the Men's 100 meters at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics.

French Cyclist Jeannie Longo Competing in Her 7th Olympics
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

For French Cyclist Jeannie Longo the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics will be her seventh time competing in the Olympics. Even though she's almost a half-century old (born October 31, 1958), Longo is still setting her sights high.

Roger Federer Aiming for Gold in Olympics Tennis
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer has lost his world number one ranking but is gunning for Gold in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics tennis championship. As one of Switzerland's main medal hopes, he will be carrying his nation's flag during the opening ceremony on Friday.

Ian Thorpe, Australia, Mens Swimming
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Britta Steffen, Germany, Women's Swimming
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Martyn Rooney, Great Britain, Men's 400 Meters
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

The World's Fastest Men Speak Out Ahead of the Aviva London Grand Prix
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Beijing Summer Olympics Men's Javelin Defending Olympics Champion Andreas Thorkildson
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Norwegian Olympic javelin gold medalist Andreas Thorkildson says that in addition to training hard, luck will play a big part in preserving his title in Beijing in August

Beijing Summer Olympics Men's Triple Jump Favorite Nelson Evora
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Triple Jump Favorite Nelson Evora of Portugal discusses his standing as the favorite in the Men's Triple Jump at this summer's Olympics

Games to Set New Standard for Anti-Doping Efforts
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

The anti-doping effort at the Beijing Summer Games will be more extensive than ever, says the International Olympic Committee (IOC). More than 4,500 tests will be administered, amounting to 25 percent more than those conducted in the 2004 Games in Athens and 90 percent more than the number of tests in Sydney in 2000.

Team USA Track and Field Roster Set for Beijing
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

An experienced American team featuring 15 Olympic medalists, 31 World Outdoor Championships medalists and 11 individual outdoor American record holders will represent the United States in track & field competition at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China.

Yelena Isinbayeva Ready to Beat Her Pole Vault World Record in Beijing
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Yelena Isinbayeva is considered the favorite for the upcoming Beijing Olympics (August 8 - 24). She won the 2004 Olympic Gold Medal with a new World Record (then 4.91 m). On July 22, 2005, Yelena Isinbayeva became the first female pole vaulter to clear 5.00 metres.

NBC to Provide Unprecedented Coverage of the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

NBC Universal, broadcasting its record 11th Olympics, will present an unprecedented 3,600 hours of Beijing Olympic Games coverage, the most ambitious single media project in history.

Sprinter Tyson Gay Shares His Expectations for the Beijing Olympics
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

American sprinter Tyson Gay recently made headlines for his 9.68-second win in the 100-meter dash during the Olympic trials (June 29, 2008). Tyson Gay is considered one of the favorite contenders for the upcoming Beijing Olympics (August 8 - 24).

100-Meter Record Holder, Michael Phelps Interview 8 Gold Medals, Support & Motivation in Beijing
2008 Beijing Summer Olympics

Since establishing the world record of 9.72 seconds in the 100-meter race at the Reebok Grand Prix on May 31, 2008, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt is one of the most eagerly-awaited athletes of the upcoming Beijing Olympics.