He's won more Olympic gold medals than any other athlete in history, and has broken enough records to set the high-water mark for an entire generation of swimmers. He's captured the world's attention, the hearts of teenage girls and the envy of the best athletes on Earth. The distance between his outstretched fingertips is 6' 7" - the same as a bald eagle's wingspan. His massive hands and size 14 feet help propel him through the water like paddles.

His name is Michael Phelps, and he's the greatest Olympic athlete that ever lived.

Phelps, 23, won the collective adoration of the world and became the most decorated Olympian ever at this summer's Beijing games, winning eight gold medals to add to six previous Olympic first-place victories. He now has a staggering 14 career gold’s — the most any athlete has ever won — and 16 medals overall.

He holds seven world records, including the 4x100 medley relay, in which he won his historic eighth gold medal. Needless to say, he'll undoubtedly be the poster boy of swimming for generations to come, replacing swimming's former golden-boy Mark Spitz.

Phelps' victory lap is set to keep an accelerated pace for the foreseeable future. The obligatory cereal boxes and shoe commercials are already piling high, and Sports Illustrated has made one of its covers into a poster of him, a first for the popular magazine. Since returning home from his Olympic domination he's been hitting red carpets like a seasoned spotlight bachelor, and the attention's only going to grow in the coming weeks. After appearing on NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on September 8, the Olympian is booked to make his acting debut on the 34th season premiere of "Saturday Night Live." He's set to host the sketch comedy season opener on September 13 with musical guest Lil Wayne.
NBC has also picked up the broadcast rights to the 2009 World Swimming Championship, which Phelps is scheduled to compete in.

Oh, did we mention he just signed a $1.6 million book deal? Yep. "Built to Succeed" will focus on the Olympian's gold medal wins in Beijing (duh), and will also cover his philosophy on training and competition, as well as his life being raised by a single mother and coping with an attention-deficit disorder. It's scheduled to be released in December.
While in London this week as a member of Olympic sponsors Team Visa to take part in the 2012 handover, Phelps revealed what drove him to succeed in the pool. The super-athlete admitted that childhood bullying was his biggest motivator.

"Kids used to pick on me and torment me but it made me a better person," he said. "There were days when I was on the school bus and had my baseball hat thrown out of the window. It's funny because the people who did that are now trying to come back and be friends, and it's like, 'No'," he smirked.

Many comparisons are being made between Phelps and Tiger Woods, the most accomplished golfer in history with wins in 14 majors. The parallels are understandable, being that Phelps is numerically aligned (14 gold medals), but the title of World's Greatest Athlete clearly goes to the swimming champion. Sure, not many people can hit a ball 175 yards to within 3 feet of the hole, but even fewer can outswim Aquaman. Tiger may be a damn good club swinger, but as far as all-around athleticism is concerned, there's simply no contest.