I am a big swimming fan.  My favorite is Michael Phelps, who is the most awarded Olympian of all time.
He is a legend, unlikely to be matched in our lifetimes. He was designed to swim.
I believe you are right.  He won eight gold medals in 2008 alone!
I watched him win those. He is an extraordinary athlethe.
Yes he has 23 gold medals.  By far the most all time
I don't think anyone will surpass that any time soon. Just an amazing accomplishment.
Yes, it broke Mark Spitz record in 1973 
Wow, I did not know that. In fact I never heard of Mark Spitz before.
Mark Spitz
Mark Andrew Spitz (born February 10, 1950) is an American former competitive swimmer and nine-time Olympic champion. He won seven gold medals at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, all in world record time. This was an achievement that lasted for 36 years until it was surpassed by fellow American Michael Phelps, who won eight golds at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
Between 1968 and 1972, Spitz won nine Olympic golds, a silver, and a bronze, in addition to five Pan
Michael Phelps
Michael Fred Phelps II (born June 30, 1985) is an American retired competitive swimmer and the most successful and most decorated Olympian of all time, with a total of 28 medals. Phelps also holds the all-time records for Olympic gold medals (23), Olympic gold medals in individual events (13), and Olympic medals in individual events (16). When he won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Games, Phelps broke fellow American swimmer Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven first