Which swimmer won eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics?

Which swimmer won eight gold medals at the 2008 Olympics? Michael Phelps won eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Phelps achieved the record by winning every swimming event he entered: the 200-meter freestyle, 100-meter butterfly, 200-meter butterfly, 200-meter individual medley, 400-meter individual medley, 4×100-meter freestyle relay, 4×200-meter freestyle relay, and 4×100-meter medley relay. His total surpassed Mark Spitz's previous record of seven gold medals at one Games, set in 1972.

The achievement was especially dramatic because Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly by just 0.01 seconds. In the 4×100-meter freestyle relay, the United States defeated France by 0.08 seconds, with Jason Lezak producing a remarkable closing leg. Phelps's eight victories included five individual golds and three relay golds.

Phelps later became the most decorated Olympian in history, finishing his career with 28 Olympic medals, including 23 golds. Mark Spitz is the common mix-up: he won seven golds in 1972, while Phelps won eight in 2008. Ryan Lochte was also a leading American swimmer, but he did not match Phelps's eight-gold performance.