Michael Phelps (swimming)

Quite simply, American Michael Phelps owned Beijing's water cube in 2008, his size 14 feet and huge arm span powering him to eight gold medals and sparking endless online chatroom debates about whether he or Usain Bolt deserved to be called the greatest sportsman on earth.

That feat gave him the record for the most gold medals at a single Olympics, beating the seven of Mark Spitz in Munich, and few would bet against him raising his overall haul of 16 Olympic medals in London which he says will be his last Games.

Even a relatively modest haul of two medals of any color would tie him with the 18 Olympic medals of former Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina.

Swimmer Michael Phelps swims to a victory in the Men's 200m Butterfly at the U.S. National Swimming Championships in Irvine, California in this August 4, 2010 file photograph.[Photo/Agencies]