Phelps' eight steps to greatness

US swimming star Michael Phelps has broken Mark Spitz's 36-year-old record of seven gold medals in a single Olympic Games.

Here we review Phelps' eight victories on his path to Olympic history.

Blog: BBC swimming expert Bob Ballard's verdict on Phelps

Final 1 - 400m Individual Medley

When: Sunday 10 August
Result: GOLD - Phelps shaves more than a second off his own record to claim his first gold of the Beijing Games.
Personal best: 4:03.84s (New world record)
How he did in Athens: Gold medal

Phelps claims first Beijing gold

Final 2 - 4x100m Freestyle Relay

When: Monday 11 August
Result: GOLD - Phelps and team-mates regain the title and set a new world record, staging a marvellous comeback in the closest of races.
Personal best: 3:08.24s (New world record)
How he did in Athens: Bronze medal

Phelps wins second gold in relay

Final 3 - 200m Freestyle

When: Tuesday 12 August
Result: GOLD - Phelps finished nearly two seconds clear of his nearest rival, South Korea's Park Tae-hwan.
Personal best: 1:42.96 (New world record)
How he did in Athens: Bronze medal

Third gold for unstoppable Phelps

Final 4 - 200m Butterfly

When: Wednesday 13 August
Result: GOLD - Phelps breaks the world record to claim a landmark 10th Olympic gold medal.
Personal best: 1:52.03 (New world record)
How he did in Athens: Gold medal

Phelps break Olympic gold record

Final 5 - 4x200m Freestyle Relay

When: Wednesday 13 August
Result: GOLD - Phelps and team-mates go under seven minutes for the first time in relay history to cruise to victory.
Personal best: 6:58.56 (New world record)
How he did in Athens: Gold medal

Phelps adds to haul with relay gold

Final 6 - 200m Individual Medley

When: Friday 15 August
Result: GOLD - Phelps dominates from start to finish, winning by more than two seconds in another world record time
Personal best: 1:54.23 (New world record)
How he did in Athens: Gold medal

Sixth gold for unstoppable Phelps

Final 7 - 100m Butterfly

When: Saturday 16 August
Result: GOLD - In his most dramatic final yet Phelps is well down at the turn, but somehow fights his way back to beat Serbia's Milorad Cavic by just a hundredth of a second.
Personal best: 50.58 (Olympic record)
How he did in Athens: Gold medal

Phelps equals Spitz's seven golds

Final 8 - 4x100m Medley Relay

When: Sunday 17 August
Result: GOLD - At halfway the result is in doubt, but storming legs from Phelps and team mate Jason Lezak hand victory to the US, and a place in history to Michael Phelps
Personal best: 3:29.34 (US team world record)
How he did in Athens: Gold medal

Phelps wins historic eighth gold

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