Michael Phelps is officially the world's greatest Olympian of all time.
The gifted U.S. swimmer has won eight gold medals in Beijing, more than any athlete has even won in a single Olympic Games, increasing his overall career total to 13.
Phelps, 23, has also crushed several world records along the way. He won the 200-metre butterfly in a record-setting 1:52.03 seconds -- all while being blinded with malfunctioning goggles that allowed water to seep in. He then helped the U.S. team become the first to break the seven-minute barrier in the 4X200 freestyle relay as the team completed the race in 6:58.56.
After winning his second gold medal of the day last Wednesday, the athlete had said he was still thirsty for more.
"There is still something left in the tank," Phelps said. "I've got three races left, so there had better be something left in the tank."
No other athlete holds as many career golds as Phelps. He is now five gold medals ahead of Olympians Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, Paavo Nurmi and Larysa Latynina.
Remarkably, Phelps doesn't even count swimming as one of his passions on his website, while football, music, video games and his English bulldog Herman all make the list.
However, the Baltimore native says he is committed to helping swimming becoming just as popular a sport as football. He was an integral part in the creation of www.swimroom.com, the sport's first social networking site.
Along with fellow Olympian Ian Crocker and Lenny Krayzelburg, Phelps helped found Swim with the Stars, the first-ever post-Olympic swimming tour. The tour travels across the U.S. and helps promotes swimming by conducting specialized camps for swimmers of all ages.
Phelps, with his charming looks and toned body, has also felt Hollywood's bright lights on him. Not only does he appear in countless commercials as an official sponsor for Speedo, Visa, Omega and Matsunichi, but he also was a guest star in the season finale of Donald Trump's hit show Apprentice 3. He was also a celebrity judge at the 2005 Miss USA Pageant.
But "squid boy" as he is affectionately called by his aqua buds, has had his fair share of challenges on his path to success.
He was raised by his single mom and his two older sisters and as a child was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (ADHD).
He was teased as a child and caused some trouble as a young adult, having been convicted of drunk driving in 2004.
Swimming and competition ended up being the push the little boy needed to grow into a self-confident young man.
His childhood swim coach Bob Bowman, who is now in Beijing as the head coach of the USA men's team, was quoted as saying that Phelp's best asset is his ability to take the negativity in his life and channel it into motivation to improve his game.
"One of the things I call Michael is the motivation machine," Bowman recently told a U.K. publication. "Bad moods, good moods, he channels everything for gain. He's motivated by success, he loves to swim fast and when he does that he goes back and trains better. He's motivated by failure, by money, by people saying things about him ... just anything that comes along he turns into a reason to train harder, swim better. Channelling his energy is one of his greatest attributes."
Eight gold medals at the Olympics is not where he is drawing the line, Phelps said in a recent media interview.
"If that sort of stuff is my goal, then that's where the line is drawn. I can only imagine. If you don't, you sell yourself short and you never reach your potential."
