Aqua Man

Here’s the list of top 10 countries who raked gold medals in 2008 Beijing Olympics:

1. China – 51
2. United States – 36
3. Russia – 23
4. Great Britain – 19
5. Germany – 16
6. Australia – 14
7. South Korea – 13
8. Japan – 9
9. Italy – 8
10. France – 7
      Ukraine – 7

If the world’s greatest swimmer Michael Phelps were a country, he’ll be at Number 9 sharing the slot with Italy. He won eight gold medals - that’s more than what France, Ukraine and the rest of participating countries achieved at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.

With eight golds, American swimmer Phelps surpassed and broke Olympic records set by Mark Spitz, a swimmer who recorded seven golds at the 1972 Olympics. Phelps holds the record for the most gold medals won – six at Athens in 2004 and now eight at Beijing.

With this record, he surpassed Mark Spitz, who was also a swimmer and had held the previous gold medal total with the seven that he won at the 1972 Olympic Games. Phelps has won a total of 16 Olympic medals.

Phelps was born on June 30, 1985 in Baltimore, Maryland. When he was younger, Phelps was diagnosed with  Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).