BEIJING-Michael Phelps won his eighth gold medal at the Beijing Olympics, breaking fellow swimmer and compatriot Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven golds at a single Games.
The 23-year-old American had already won more gold medals than any other athlete at the Olympics.
“I don’t know what to feel, so many emotions, so much excitement. I just want to see my mum,” he said.
“Its been nothing but an upwards rollercoaster but its been nothing but fun.”
Spitz’s record had stood unchallenged for 36 years but the wait to find someone to go better than Phelps could take another century.
“The biggest thing is nothing is impossible,” he said.
“With so many people saying it couldn’t be done, all it takes is an imagination.
“That’s something I learned, something that helped me.”
His eighth gold medal came in the 4x100 metres medley relay, the final event of the Olympic swimming programme, and was accompanied by another world record.
Phelps teamed up with backstroker Aaron Peirsol, breaststroker Brendan Hansen and freestyler Jason Lezak to help the United States smash the old mark of three minutes, 30.68 seconds with a winning time of 3:29.34.
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