Michael Phelps

Already one of the world's most famous athletes, Phelps has an opportunity to become the most decorated Olympian ever in London. Phelps has won 16 career medals spanning the 2004 and 2008 Games, a total that is two shy of the all-time Olympic record set by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina from 1956-1964. Phelps’ 14 Olympic golds are by far the most of any Olympian. He also holds the all-time record for most individual Olympic gold medals with nine. Phelps will swim seven events in London in what he insists will be his final meet as a competitive swimmer. Although he qualified in eight events, Phelps chose to drop the 200-meter freestyle. He'll face rival and teammate Ryan Lochte in the 200 and 400 individual medleys and also will compete in the 100 and 200 butterfly and 800 free relay. No male swimmer has ever won the same event in three straight Olympics, but Phelps has a chance to three-peat in all four of his individual events. Phelps won six gold and two bronze medals during the 2004 Summer Games in Athens and followed that up by bringing home an Olympic-record eight gold medals from Beijing in 2008. The Baltimore area native broke his own world record in the 400-meter individual medley when he cut 0.15 seconds off his previous mark to win gold in Athens in a time of 4:08.26. However, weeks after dominating in the pool at the 2004 Games, Phelps was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol in Maryland. After the incident, Phelps turned his attention back to the water where he would set world records at the 2006 Pan Pacific Games and the 2007 world championships. The 2008 Summer Games, though, would prove to be Phelps’ true moment of glory. All but one of the eight gold medals he won in Beijing came with a world record. He did not set a world record in the 100-meter butterfly, but settled for an Olympic mark of 50.58 seconds. His eight gold medals topped the previous best of seven set by U.S. swimming legend Mark Spitz in 1972. Phelps then won three titles at the 2010 ConocoPhillips National Championships and captured five gold medals at the 2010 Pan Pacific Games. He also went on to set another world record in the 100 butterfly, becoming the first swimmer to break the 50-second mark. He won four golds, two silvers and a bronze at the 2011 world championships. A big fan of hip-hop music and former Chicago Bulls great Michael Jordan, Phelps became the youngest U.S. male swimmer in 68 years to compete in an Olympic Games when he made the 2000 team in Sydney at age 15. He is a six-time winner of the World Swimmer of the Year award and an eight-time recipient of U.S. Swimmer of the Year honors. Phelps was named Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year in 2008.