American “Goldfish” Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics, breaking four world records in five of his individual swims. His first final was on August 10 and he won the 400m IM in 4:03.86, a second faster than the world record he had set a month earlier at the Olympic trials. At Athens, Phelps received 6 gold and 2 bronze and thus barely missed equaling another swimmer, Mark Spitz’s gold record at 7 gold. Yet he managed to come back better than ever in Beijing, broke that record, and now holds 14 gold medals and two bronze over two Olympic games. Among the attributed factors of his success is his physique, which seems custom built for one of the fastest swimmers the world has ever seen. He boasts a 6-foot-7-inch wingspan, which is 3 inches longer than his height and provides him the advantage of superior reach. He has the ability to ride high on the water as his torso is actually longer than his legs. And the power provided by size fourteen feet and flexible ankles cannot be undermined. Phelps began his Olympic stint at the age of 15, having finished second at the U.S. trials for the 200m fly. The youngest man on the U.S. swim team, Phelps turned heads as he survived until the finals in Sydney and finished 5th. Just five months later, Phelps became the world’s youngest record holder for swimming when he broke the record for the same event. Now at 23, this inspirational swimmer holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals, having received 14 of them.

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