Despite an astonishing, drum-thumping opening ceremony that clearly announced China's ascendance as a 21st-century superpower, it was a tall, gangly kid from Baltimore who stole the spotlight, and in eight shining, golden moments, made us all proud to be Americans. Like Jesse Owens before him, Michael Phelps showed the rest of the world how great America can be, and shined the brightest when it mattered most. This book chronicles the remarkable story of Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympic athlete in history, as told by the writers, editors, and photographers of USA Today.

Despite an astonishing, drum-thumping opening ceremony that clearly announced China's ascendance as a 21st-century superpower, it was a tall, gangly kid from Baltimore who stole the spotlight, and in eight shining, golden moments, made us all proud to be Americans. Like Jesse Owens before him, Michael Phelps showed the rest of the world how great America can be, and shined the brightest when it mattered most. This book chronicles the remarkable story of Michael Phelps, the greatest Olympic athlete in history, as told by the writers, editors, and photographers of USA Today.