Michael Phelps has done the unthinkable. After winning 6 golds and 2 bronze in Athens 4 years ago, Phelps 3-upped his gold medal tally in Beijing, breaking Mark Spitz's haul of 7 gold medals in Munich in 1972 and smashing 8 world records in the process.

Sure, there were close calls, but through it all, Phelps has remained invincible, unflappable and surprisingly humble. While some athletes will turn their noses up after winning 2 or more golds, Phelps seemed just as emotional after gold medal #8 as he was after gold medal #1.

What words can describe Phelps? Superman. Dolphin. Shark. Invincible.

So what does the man himself think of his larger-than-life (for most people) achievements/stature? "There are moments that I will never forget".

If Beijing was any indication of Phelps' greatness, the whole world will be mesmerized for many years to come. Phelps has already stated that he will be back for the 2012 Olympics in London.

What do Phelps' teammates think of him? According to Aaron Piersol, "It was cool. We got to be part of it".

Breastroker Brendan Hansen was most impressed by the way Phelps acted like a normal guy once he got out of the pool after his race: "I'd be like, 'Do you realize what you're doing?' and he'd be like 'Man, the pizza is good today'".

And no one can question can question Phelps' determination: "I just wanted to make sure (that) I took every single moment in and every single swim in, with my teammates so (that) I would remember them. I don't want to forget anything that happened". If Phelps has to work on his memory in order to remember what he has achieved during this 29th Olympiad, he must be the only one. And if he's worried about losing some teammates, he need not worry as Hansen (27) and Piersol (25) should be back for the London Games in 2012. Unlike Spitz, who was arrogant and detached, Phelps knows that he couldn't have possibly won those 3 relay golds without his teammates.

Even swimmers from other countries have been wowed by Phelps. Just listen to/read the comments about Phelps by Australia's Leisel Jones who won 2 gold medals herself: "I couldn't care less about my swims. To be able to swim in the same era as him has been awesome". Leisel Jones can't be contemplating retirement, can she? She won't be 23 until August 30! She lost the 200 meter breast stroke to American Rebecca Soni.

Australian national swim coach Alan Thompson goes even further, wondering if Phelps' world records will ever be broken: "We've been talking about Mark Spitz for 36 years now. I don't know if I'm going to be alive when they stop talking about this bloke. You wonder if we are ever going to see someone as good as this again". Hey Mike, if an opposing coach talks about in glowing terms like this, you must be pretty good.

So, how does Phelps feel, now having achieved more greatness than Spitz, one of his idols? "Being able to have something like that to shoot for, it made those days when I was tired and I didn't want to be there ... it made those days easier to look at (Spitz) and say, `I want to do this.' "I'm just thankful for him having done what he did."

President Bush watched Phelps win 2 races and NBA stars Kobe Bryant and LeBron James cheered him all the way to his record-breaking 8th gold medal.

Phelps' conclusion about swimming? "The sport of swimming has come a long way and I think (that) it can go even further. I can take it even further". This has to be the biggest understatement in the history of swimming. Keep in mind that we're now talking about someone, who, at one point in his life, was scared to put his face in the water. Now, try to imagine swimming without its ambassador.

Piersol's conclusion about Phelps? "Mike is opening a lot of doors with what he's doing. Hopefully, the sport can build on this momentum".

What does Phelps plan to do after returning to the states? Having graduated from the University of Michigan, he has to pack, move home to Baltimore and withdraw some money from the bank, taking the advice of coach Bob Bowman: "Bob has a saying, 'Putting money in the bank'. When we train every day, sometimes there are workouts (that) you don't like, don't want to do. Bob says you're putting money in the bank. I guess I've put a lot of money in the bank over the past 4 years. Once Bob and I grab a little break, it'll be time to start depositing". Mike, you won't need to worry about money ever again, in your life. And take more than a little break. You've earned it!

As far as his swimming is concerned, the only adjustment that Phelps is making is dropping the individual 400 meter relay, the most demanding on his schedule so that he can focus on several shorter races. According to Bowman, "He thinks (that) it'll be a little easier. He's more naturally suited for longer distances. It'll be change for him, but I think (that) it'll be agood one". Bowman and Phelps met at the North Baltimore Aquatic Club and moved with Phelps to the University of Michigan. Now that Phelps has completed his college eligibility, both he and Bowman are returning to Baltimore where their partnership began. Bowman noticed Phelps as an overactive adolescent and has trained him into a swimming guru.

What does Phelps plan to do upon returning to Baltimore? "I just want to do is lay in my own bed for five minutes at least and just relax. One ofn the things (that) I'm really looking forward to is getting back to Baltimore".

Mike Phelps will return to Baltimore as a swimming guru/legend. However, we should still see him at the closing ceremonies where he will most likely carry the US flag. If he and his family were crying during those 8 breathtaking and record-breaking performances in the pool over the past 10 days, they better have some spare tears for the closing ceremonies.