"The way Michael slips through the water—it's ghostlike."
—U.S. OLYMPIC SWIMMING COACH CECIL COLWIN

"Phelps is Tiger in a Speedo."
—NBC SPORTSCASTER DAN HICKS

"His physique is so perfectly suited for his sport, his dominance in the water so great, his focus so absolute that there are times when he does, indeed, seem to represent an aquatic turn in human evolution."
—THE BALTIMORE SUN

"What he did today, and what he did this entire week, beats the Tour de France, beats the pressure putt in the U.S. Open. You know, it beats every part of what sport is."
—U.S. RELAY SWIMMER BRENDAN HANSEN, WHO HELPED PHELPS WIN MEDAL NUMBER EIGHT

"Phelps tinkered with the idea of facial hair in the days before the competition began. But when the whistle blew, his face, like his technique, was as smooth as a baby's rump… Outwardly Phelps looked as cool as a cucumber in Brad Pitt's fridge. Inwardly the adrenaline was firing."
—THE DAILY TELEGRAPH

"Someone told me about an hour ago that this week on Facebook you've gone by Michael Jordan, Manchester United, Rafael Nadal, and Roger Federer, but it doesn't stop there. You've gone by the Jonas Brothers, you've gone by Miley Cyrus, you've gone by Justin Timberlake. You've swept the board."
—BOB COSTAS, INTERVIEWING PHELPS