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Athens, 2004: He didn't tie Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals in one Games, but Michael Phelps' haul of six golds (200m IM, 400m IM, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 4x200m freestyle relay, 4x100m medley relay) and two bronzes (200m freestyle, 4x100m freestyle relay) was one of the most amazing performances in Olympic swimming history. The eight medals at a single Games for Phelps tied Soviet gymnast Aleksandr Dityatin's mark set in the 1980 Games.
Athens, 2004: Aaron Peirsol endured the wildest 15 minutes of his swimming career when he won gold in the 200m backstroke, had it taken away and given back again, all before the medal ceremony. Peirsol bested his nearest competitor by two seconds, winning in an Olympic record 1:54.95. Moments later, he was disqualified for an illegal third turn. Immediately following the disqualification, the U.S. lodged a protest with FINA, the international governing body of swimming. Minutes later, in yet another turn of events, FINA overturned the DQ.
Athens, 2004: In a four-day span, Kosuke Kitajima of Japan captured gold medals in the 100m and 200m breaststroke races, becoming the first Japanese swimmer to win two individual gold medals in one Games and the seventh man to sweep both breaststrokes at the Olympics.
Athens, 2004: In Sydney, Yana Klochkova of Ukraine became the fourth woman to sweep both individual medley events at a single Games, joining Americans Claudia Kolb (1968) and Tracy Caulkins (1984) as well as Ireland's Michelle Smith (1996). In Athens, Klochkova, 22, again pulled off the historic double again, becoming the first female swimmer to win consecutive pairs of Olympic gold medals in the same events.
Sydney, 2000: With so much focus in Sydney on the U.S.-Australia showdown for swimming supremacy, the Netherlands was something of an afterthought. But not after Pieter van den Hoogenband and Inge de Bruijn disrupted that duel. Van den Hoogenband's upset of Aussie star Ian Thorpe in the 200m freestyle was among the five gold medals he and de Bruijn combined to win.
Sydney, 2000: Immensely popular in Australia, where most citizens live on or near the water, swimming packed more than 17,000 spectators into Sydney International Aquatic Centre for each night of competition. An astounding 15 world records and 38 Olympic records were set or equaled in the world's most technologically-advanced pool.
Sydney, 2000: On Night One at the Aquatic Centre, Australia's Ian Thorpe, he of the matching age and shoe size (17), blazed to 400m freestyle gold in world record time. He then returned to the pool an hour later for the 4x100m freestyle relay, in which the U.S. was a perfect 7-for-7 at previous Games. After losing Australia's lead to Gary Hall Jr. in the first 50m of the anchor leg, the "Thorpedo" powered past the American down the stretch, touching home in a world record time of 3:13.67. The nation-wide celebration included some mock strumming by Michael Klim, in response to Hall Jr.'s pre-race claim that the U.S. would smash the Aussies "like a guitar."
Sydney, 2000: In what was supposed to be a grand going-away party for Australian butterfly legend Susie O'Neill, Stanford undergrad Misty Hyman silenced the serenade. Hyman, expected to place no higher than third in the 200m butterfly, stuned O'Neill -- and herself -- with victory in Olympic record time.
Sydney, 2000: Out of the pool for seven years in the 1990s, 33-year-old Dara Torres capped her comeback with five medals in Sydney. Torres, the first U.S swimmer to compete at four Games, increased her career medal total to nine, surpassing the pre-Sydney record for American women (swimmer Shirley Babashoff's eight). Three-time Olympian Jenny Thompson, 27, went one better, reaching the 10-medal mark with a bronze (tying Torres in the 100m freestyle) and three relay golds, though she fell short in pursuit of her first individual victory.
Atlanta, 1996: Sprinters Gary Hall Jr. and Alexander Popov gave Atlanta a prize-fight feel, as Russia's Popov downplayed the chances of his American rival in pre-race interviews, while Hall performed a shadow-boxing routine on the deck before the two dueled in the pool. In results akin to a 15th-round knockout, Popov landed the deciding blows, edging Hall in both the 50m and 100m freestyles by a total of .14 of a second.
Atlanta, 1996: Suffering from exercise-induced asthma, Amy Van Dyken had to overcome the handicap of inhaling only 65 percent as much oxygen as her competitors. Nevertheless. Van Dyken upset the favored Chinese in the 50m freestyle and 100m butterfly, and added a pair of relay golds, becoming the first American woman to win four gold medals at one Olympics.
Atlanta, 1996: Never had an Irish woman won an Olympic medal, but Michelle Smith emerged to win four in Atlanta, including three golds. With surprise victories in both IMs and the 400m free, the 26-year-old Smith became the target of doping allegations, though she passes every drug test. "I think I tried to use the negative criticism to my advantage," said Smith, who returned to Ireland a national hero. In 1998, Smith was suspended by FINA for tampering with a urine sample taken out of competition, ending her career.
Atlanta, 1996: In the early 1990s, with a surprising four-gold, five-silver showing in Barcelona followed by victories in 12 of 16 events at the 1994 World Championships, China transformed itself into a women's swimming force. With that success came scrutiny, and suspicions of substance abuse. Crashing back to earth in Atlanta, Chinese women managed just one gold and six total medals, a disappointing performance that coaches blamed on bad food and exhaustion, caused by a midnight fire alarm. China later implemented a strict drug-testing program before the Sydney Games, where it failed to win one medal in swimming.
Atlanta, 1996: Just 21, Krisztina Egerszegi arriveed in Atlanta with a legend to enhance. Known as the "Little Mouse" -- a moniker inspired by the meaning of her name and her timid personality -- the Hungarian had won the 200m backstroke in 1988 and '92. Cruising to victory again (by an eye-popping 4.15 seconds), she joined Dawn Fraser as the only women to win the same swimming event at three Olympics. Egerszegi finished her Olympic career with five individual gold medals.
Barcelona, 1992: In a 50m freestyle final featuring defending champ Matt Biondi and world record holder Tom Jager, the unexpected winner was Alexander Popov of the Unified Team. The tall, 20-year-old Russian posted an Olympic-record time of 21.91 seconds in completing a sweep of the two sprint events, a feat he duplicated in Atlanta.
Barcelona, 1992: Stanford undergrad Summer Sanders, 19, won four medals, including a gold in the 200m butterfly that offset disappointment from both IMs, which she led in the final lap. Also climbing four podiums was Germany's 14-year-old phenom Franziska van Almsick, whose precocity was trumped by 200m breaststroke winner Kyoko Iwasaki of Japan. Six days after turning 14, Iwasaki became swimming's youngest Olympic champion.
Seoul, 1988: In what remains the most-dominant, single-Games performance ever by a woman, East Germany's Kristin Otto powered to six gold medals. Led by the versatile Otto, East Germany won 10 of the 15 women's events at what proved to be the country's final Olympics before reunification.
Seoul, 1988: American Matt Biondi attempted to equal Mark Spitz's single-Games record of seven gold medals. Biondi dominated, but not quite at the Spitz standard, claiming five golds, a silver (just 1/100th of a second behind Suriname's Anthony Nesty in the 100m fly) and a bronze. Biondi ultimately matched Spitz with a career total of 11 Olympic medals.
Seoul, 1988: The "Star-Spangled Banner" played for only one American woman at the pool in Seoul, but Janet Evans cued it up three times. The 17-year-old Californian, with her textbook-defying windmill stroke, churned to gold in the 400m IM, then asserted her distance dominance by sweeping the 400m and 800m freestyles. After winning silver and gold in Barcelona, Evans concluded her Olympic career in Atlanta, where she handed the torch to Muhammad Ali during the Opening Ceremony.
Los Angeles, 1984: With the Soviets and East Germans absent, the United States won 21 of the 29 events. Mary T. Meagher swept the butterflies, Tracy Caulkins took both IMs, and Rowdy Gaines won triple gold. West Germany's Michael Gross, dubbed "The Albatross" because of his monstrous wingspan, captured the 200m free and 100m fly. In a stunning upset, Aussie Jon Sieben beat Gross and American Pablo Morales in the 200m fly.
Moscow, 1980: With the United States at home boycotting, Soviet Vladimir Salnikov set the only world record in men's swimming at the Moscow Games. He took the1500m freestyle in 14:58.27, becoming the first person to dip below 15 minutes in the event. Although he didn't get to swim four years later in Los Angeles because of the USSR's retaliatory boycott, Salnikov cemented his legacy in 1988, winning swimming's metric mile again -- at the relatively ancient age of 28.
Montreal, 1976: Led by four-time gold medallist Kornelia Ender, East Germany won 11 of the 13 women's races in Montreal. Suspicions of substance abuse by the East Germans were eventually confirmed in the 1990s by documentation and numerous confessions. Even more prolific than the East German women in 1976 were the U.S. men, who won 12 of 13 events. John Naber took both backstrokes and added two more relay golds plus a silver in the 200m freestyle.
Munich, 1972: For Mark Spitz, winning only two relay golds at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics had been considered a disappointment. He rebounded and astounded four years later in Munich, winning seven gold medals -- four individually and three in relays -- to set a single-Games record (for any sport) that still stands. Spitz' total of nine career golds has been duplicated but never exceeded.
Munich, 1972: At any other Olympics, 15-year-old Shane Gould's performance would have been the big story. But with Mark Spitz piling up seven victories, Gould's remarkable effort -- three world records, three gold medals, five total medals -- was a relative ripple. The precocious Australian, who from July 1971 to January 1972 set world records in five women's freestyle distances, quickly tired of competitive swimming's demands and quit the sport at age 16.
Mexico City, 1968: After setting world records in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyles during the U.S. Olympic Trials, Debbie Meyer failed to match that kind of speed in mile-high-plus Mexico City. Still, she swept those events at the Games, becoming the first swimmer to win three individual gold medals at one Olympics.
Tokyo, 1964: History was made in Tokyo when American Don Schollander became the first swimmer to win four golds at a single Games and Australian Dawn Fraser gave her sport its first three-time Olympic champion in the same event. Fraser, seven months removed from injuries sustained in a car accident that killed her mother, repeated in the 100m freestyle.
Rome, 1960: With victory in the 100m free, Australia's Dawn Fraser became the first woman to successfully defend an Olympic swimming title. But the Fraser legacy was marked by more than just triumph. In Rome, she was ostracized by teammates for refusing to swim in the medley relay.
Melbourne, 1956: For the first time, the Games headed to the Southern Hemisphere with Australia playing host. And the home team didn't disappoint. At the sparkling new Olympic Park swimming stadium, Murray Rose captured three gold medals and Dawn Fraser led an Aussie sweep of the women's 100m freestyle.
Helsinki, 1952: The U.S. suffered its first Olympic defeat in men's swimming since 1936 (Americans won every race in 1948) when France's Jean Boiteux won the 400m freestyle. In doing so, Boiteux gave France its first gold medal of the 1952 Games, and moved his overjoyed father to join him in the pool, fully clothed.
London, 1948: Forty years after introducing a standard pool to the Games, London brought Olympic swimming inside. The U.S. men raised the roof with the first -- and still only -- gender sweep, taking all six events. Ann Curtis added two golds and a silver to the American tally.
Berlin, 1936: Eleanor Holm, favored to defend her 100m backstroke title, is kicked off the U.S. team before reaching Berlin. Her crime: excessive carousing aboard the SS Manhattan on its nine-day voyage to Europe. Holm had a brief career in Hollywood, playing Jane in "Tarzan's Revenge," opposite 1936 Olympic decathlon champion Glenn Morris.
Los Angeles, 1932: Japan dominated the pool in Southern California, finishing 1-2 in every men's individual event except the 400m freestyle. There, with a dramatic late surge, Buster Crabbe earned gold and attention from local movie producers. He later stared in movies as Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers and -- like fellow swimmer Johnny Weissmuller -- Tarzan.
Paris, 1924: Before the silver screen, it was Olympic gold that made Johnny Weissmuller famous. In Paris, Weissmuller won the 400m freestyle before leading a U.S. sweep in the 100m free (the Kahanamoku brothers, Duke and Sam, finished 2-3). Weissmuller later portrayed Tarzan in 12 films. He is among four Olympians-turned-Lords of the Jungle.
Paris, 1924: In the 1920s, Arne Borg, a.k.a. "The Swedish Sturgeon," set 32 world records. But in 1924, 16-year-old Australian Andrew "Boy" Charlton upstaged him. First, Charlton defeated Borg in a 400m race in Sydney that attracted 10,000 fans. Later that year, in Paris, they both entered the1500m freestyle. After Borg set an Olympic record in the preliminaries, Charlton prevailed in the final, improving Borg's record by more than a minute to become Australia's third-ever Olympic champion in swimming. In defeat, Borg described Charlton as one of the Seven Wonders of the World.
Antwerp, 1920: In Antwerp, Hawaii's Duke Kahanamoku successfully defended the 100m freestyle title he won in 1912 (the 1916 Games were cancelled because of World War I) and also played for the fourth-place U.S. water polo team. An eventual four-time Olympian, Kahanamoku amassed three gold medals and two silvers. He also acted in a number of Hollywood films, popularized surfing around the world, and is credited with swimming innovations such as the flutter kick and crawl.
Stockholm, 1912: Sarah "Fanny" Durack, who once simultaneously held every world record in women's swimming, became the sport's first female Olympic champion. The Sydney native, though, almost didn't get her shot at history: Australian officials, for reasons fiscal and philosophical, initially denied Durack a place in the Games, then granted one only when local funds were raised to cover her expenses.
London, 1908: The London Games were the first to feature swim races over regulated distances in a man-made facility: a 100-meter long "bath," with clearly marked lanes, built inside the track infield at the main Olympic stadium. Britain's Henry Taylor won three golds. Taylor is said to have fought for the British Navy in World War I, in the famous Battle of Jutland.
St. Louis, 1904: In St. Louis, William Dickey gave the U.S. its first medal in Olympic swimming. In the "Plunge for Distance" event, contested only at the 1904 Games, athletes made a standing dive and plummeted motionless through the water. The depth each competitor reached was then measured. Capitalizing on the absence of the strong British plunging contingent, Dickey and two fellow members of the New York Athletic Club swept the medals. Dickey's golden effort: 62 feet, 6 inches.
Paris, 1900: After the harsh conditions of 1896, the 1900 swimming scene was the picturesque River Seine, where competitors stroked with the current and posted unusually quick times. Fast water wasn't the only Parisian peculiarity: Swimmers also competed in an underwater event and an obstacle race.
Athens, 1896: Alfred Hajos, who at age 13 learned to swim after his father drowned in the Danube River, endures the Bay of Zea's choppy, 55-degree waters to prevail in two of the first four Olympic swimming events. "My will to live completely overcame my desire to win," recalls the aspiring architect, who later took silver in the 1924 Olympic art competition for his design of a stadium.
