Swimming: Michael Phelps vs. the History Books, Round Two

By the time Mark Spitz was Michael Phelps's age, 23, he had retired from competitive swimming and was cavorting on TV with folks like Sonny and Cher, pursuing a career that, unlike his tenure in the pool, sank like a stone. Spitz made history at his second Olympics, Munich in 1972, when he became the only athlete ever to win seven gold medals at a single Games. Four years ago in Athens, at his second Olympics, Phelps took aim at Spitz's mark and came up just short, winning six golds and two bronzes.

He might have a better shot this time, especially with Australian rival Ian Thorpe now safely retired. (Phelps's teammate Katie Hoff is aiming for history, too, swimming six events in Beijing in an effort to match East Germany's Kristin Otto, who in 1988 became the only woman ever to win six gold medals at one Olympics.) Phelps's ambitions speak for themselves: he'll race the same five events he did in Athens—the 100- and 200-meter butterflies, the 200- and 400-meter individual medleys and the 200-meter freestyle—along with three relays. At last year's world championships, Phelps left no doubt that Spitz's mark is within reach, winning seven gold medals, five of them in world-record time.

And that was before he donned Speedo's new LZR Racer full-body swimsuit, which appears to be revolutionizing the sport. Some have cried foul, comparing the suit to doping because of the advantage it provides in drag reduction and body stabilization. The proof is in the pool: swimmers using the new Speedo have set 47 world records this year alone. In fact, at the U.S. trials, no swimmer won an event in any other suit.

© 2008