Phelps 'Winningest' Olympian

I didn't care how late it was getting; I was going to watch Michael Phelps tie the record for most gold medals won. Then, how could I sleep without knowing if he won number eleven?

WASHINGTON,DC (Catholic Online) - On August 13 Michael Phelps, 23, became the individual who has won more Olympic Gold Medals than anyone else in history. His eleventh medal came as he led the Men's 4 X 200m freestyle relay team to a world record and easy victory.

His greatest victory of these Olympics, however, occurred in winning gold in the 200m butterfly event. Here Phelps set a world record and first place while his goggles had filled with water. For all intents and purposes, he was swimming blind. No doubt the distraction of this situation was a major cause of frustration for the Maryland-born swimmer, who wanted desperately to break the 1:51 mark.

"My goggles kept filling up with water during the race," he said. "I wanted a world record, I wanted 1:51 or better, but in the circumstances it's not too bad I guess."

His demeanor after the race seemed somewhat disconcerting for someone who had just set a new world record and tied in gold medals. Only later, when the report about his goggles had become known, did anyone realize the magnitude of this victory.

Before the Beijing Olympics, Paavo Nurmi, Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz, and Larysa Latynina has jointly held the record with nine. Now, firmly in first place in Olympic history, Phelps has three more opportunities for additional gold before the 2008 Games are completed.

ESPN describes Phelps as "a creature of habit. He struggles to wake up in the morning, and loves to take naps in the middle of the afternoon. He gets two massages a day and takes ice baths to help his body recover from the grueling schedule. He wolfs down gargantuan amounts of pasta and pizza between races."

"When it's time to race," ESPN notes, "there's no one better."

According to Mark Schubert, head coach of the U.S. team, "It's his physical ability, it's his ability to race; it's his ability to keep focused, to get excited when he needs to and to come down when he needs to come down."

Up next for Mike Phelps is a head-to-head competition with the good friend and teammate Ryan Lochte in the Men's 200m individual medley. Lochte posted the best time in the qualifying heat at 1:58:15. Phelps swam the following heat at 1:58:65, putting him in sixth place. This qualifying heat took place just after Phelps had competed in the two events where he won gold.

"I'm just trying to get through everything," he said. "It's a lot of racing and it's not easy."

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