Big Splash!

Athletic prowess is a double-edged sword: part gift and part gumption, some luck blended with sacrifice, pain and, on a few occasions, true glory. Olympic races produce such moments, and swimmer Michael Phelps now has experienced more of them than any other athlete, including a part in the stunning 4 × 100-m-relay win anchored by Jason Lezak.

If Phelps seemed nonchalant about the honor of Greatest Olympian--"It's a pretty cool title, I guess," he said--it's not because he doesn't appreciate or respect what it means. He has always been ambivalent about his achievements, yearning for the thrill of racing but struck dumb when it comes to explaining why or how he does it. He shrugs off questions about his motivation and ability to shock and awe, offering only "I just like to swim fast" as an explanation. Once he overcame his childhood fear of being under water, the water became the place where he talks--shouts, really. This is swimming, his bullet-like body exclaims. This is the beauty of sport and the power of the human form at its limit. After the Games, Phelps says, he will return to Baltimore, to his friends, his family and everything familiar--where he can once again be just a guy who likes to swim fast.