History's Five Best Swimmers

When it comes to swimming, no name rolls off the tongue quite like that of Michael Phelps, and it's with good reason. That's why he's at the top of this list of the top five swimmers ever.

1. Michael Phelps: Now 24, Phelps has won 14 Olympic gold medals. That's more than any swimmer in history, and Phelps plans to swim again at the 2012 Olympic Games. He's also broken more than 30 world records, many of which were his own marks. Phelps is the best in the world in the freestyle and butterfly races, but he's also at the top of the heap in the medley and backstroke, a rare combination in today's era of specialization. Some say the new swimsuits might have helped him at the 2008 Olympic Games in China, but most other swimmers had similar suits. Just what made Phelps better than them? Well, training and a 6-foot-4 frame with huge feet hasn't hurt. Some call him a freak of nature, but the Baltimore native also spent hundreds upon hundreds of hours in the water. Certainly, that helped.

2. Mark Spitz: Now 59, Spitz turned the world on its ear when he won seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich, Germany. It was the most medals won by a single athlete at a single Olympic Games. That is, it was the most until Phelps won eight golds at the 2008 Olympic Games in China. Spitz went on to win 11 Olympic medals, including nine golds. He excelled most in the freestyle and butterfly races. The Californian is also one of few members of the Jewish faith to do so well in Olympic competition.

3. Matt Biondi: The Californian won 11 Olympic medals during his days in the pool. Among his collection were five golds won at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. Biondi also competed in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the 1992 Olmpics in Barcelona, Spain. Biondi's specialties were the freestyle and butterfly.

4. Ian Thorpe: Anytime you are given the nickname Thorpedo, that bodes well for your standing among the world's best swimmers. The Australia 26-year-old is not quite as fast as he once was, and that's why he didn't race in the 2008 Olympic Games. But he sure left his mark in 2000 and 2004. A freestyle expert, Thorpe won five gold medals and set more than a dozen world records.

5. Alexander Popov: The Russian rocket claimed four Olympic gold medals in the 50 and 100 freestyle. He won both races in 1992 and again in 1996. Some would put distance swimmers or breaststroke and backstroke specialists ahead of Popov, but swimmers know that, when asked who's the best swimmer in the pool, the answer always is defined by which swimmer is fastest in the main two events, the 50 and 100 freestyle.