GANNETT NEWS SERVICE MULTIMEDIA                                                                    Olympics home | E-mail feedback

Michael Phelps looks at his time after winning the 200-meter Individual Medley final at the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for swimming in Long Beach, Calif., July 12. (Eileen Blass, USA TODAY)

No. 1. Michael Phelps

All he wants is history. Meaning eight victories in swimming to outdo the gold medal binge of Mark Spitz in 1972. Spitz' remarkable accomplishment has gone unchallenged for three decades, but Phelps has made it his mission.

The U.S. swimming trials, when Phelps lost to fellow world record-breaking Yanks in two events, clearly suggested how difficult that mission will be in Athens. Phelps will need to find a way in the next month to get past his own countrymen, but the showdown everyone is truly waiting for is in the 200 freestyle, when Phelps faces Australian man-fish, Ian Thorpe.

START | NEXT >>

Or choose from the list:

• 1 | Michael Phelps - Swimmer
• 2 | The shot put
• 3 | Men's basketball
• 4 | Marion Jones - Track and field
• 5 | Gymnastics
• 6 | Rulon Gardner - Wrestler
• 7 | The 100-meter dash
• 8 | Softball
• 9 | Women's soccer
• 10 | Marathon

ADVERTISEMENT