2. MICHAEL PHELPS
Michael Fred Phelps is an American (Baltimore, Maryland) former competitive swimmer
and the most successful and decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals.
Phelps also holds all-time records for Olympic gold medals (23), Olympic gold medals in
individual events (13), Olympic medals in individual events (16).
3. 2008 SUMMER OLYMPICS IN BEIJING
At the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, Phelps won his 14th career gold medal,
the most gold won by any Olympian. He also set the record for the most gold medals
won in a single Olympics by winning eight gold medals. Every gold medal performance
set a new world record, except the 100-meter butterfly, which set an Olympic record.
4. FACT
During the 2008 Olympics, the press suspected that Phelps was taking performance-
enhancing drugs, since his achievements were “too good to be true”. In response,
Phelps had signed up for Project Believe, a project by the United States Anti-Doping
Agency, in which U.S. Olympians can volunteer to undergo tests that exceed the
guidelines of the organization. During the Games, Phelps passed all nine tests that were
administered to him.
