Spitz Starts Life as Second-Greatest

Swimmer inspired America to love the games again

(NEWSER) - If the Chinese invented organized sports 6,000 years ago, writes Pat Forde on ESPN.com, then how appropriate that Michael Phelps came to Beijing to prove he was “the apotheosis of the athlete.” And America knows it. In a year when the Olympics had become “passe,” tens of millions of enthusiastic Americans rooted for Phelps in a way not seen since the Miracle on Ice. He “single-handedly saved the Olympics,” Forde writes. More»

Gold medal star makes comedy debut as host next month

(NEWSER) - Super swimmer Michael Phelps will be trying his hand at making comedy gold as host of the season premier of Saturday Night Live, E! Online reports. The 23-year-old Olympic champ will be making his acting debut when the program's 34th season kicks off September 13. The swimmer will be joined by musical guest Lil' Wayne. More»

Swimmer mimics iconic shot of Olympian whose record he broke

(NEWSER) - Michael Phelps now has "the picture" to match his record Olympic medal haul, the New York Daily News reports. Sports Illustrated features a grinning, medal-clad, bare-chested Phelps on the cover of its issue out tomorrow, a shot that mimics the mag's iconic 1972 photo of Mark Spitz. "This is about Michael going forward," said an editor. "This is an image that our readers and others will remember." More»

Swimmer balanced domination with near-misses

(NEWSER) - Michael Phelps’ quest for eight gold medals was a perfect sports story for America: we like our athletes to either dominate or come from behind at the last minute, and Phelps delivered on both counts. He was both “the juggernaut and the ninth-inning home run with two outs and two strikes,” writes Mike Lopresti in USA Today—and that made him “the most compelling figure to slice through water since Jaws.” More»

(AP) - Michael Phelps beat Milorad Cavic of Serbia by the thinnest of margins to win the 100-meter butterfly yesterday, tying Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at a single Olympics. Phelps, seemingly destined for second at the finish, somehow touched the wall first, a scant .01 seconds ahead of Cavic. The Serb's coach filed a protest, but the judges ruled that the cameras didn't lie: Phelps won. More»