Phelps was the star of the Beijing Olympics, winning a record eight gold medals. His 14 career gold medals are the most won by an Olympian.

Phelps is the first swimmer ever to receive the prestigious Sportsman of the Year designation.

Sports Illustrated named its first Sportsman of the Year in 1954, bestowing the honor on Roger Bannister the same year the distance runner become the first man to run a mile in less than four minutes.

Here’s the all-time list:

Source: SI.com

With their victory over Australia in the gold medal game in Beijing, the United States Olympic women’s basketball team won its fourth consecutive Olympic title, a streak dating back to the 1996 Games in Atlanta.

In the process, 36-year-old American star Lisa Leslie won her fourth Olympic gold medal, joining former teammate Teresa Edwards as the only basketball players to do so.

Through Beijing, the U.S. has won 33 straight games in the Olympics. The last loss came against the Unified team in the semifinals of the 1992 Barcelona Games.

Here’s the list of Olympic medalists since 1976:

1976: Gold – URS; Silver – USA; Bronze – Bulgaria

*1980: Gold – URS; Silver – Bulgaria; Bronze – Yugoslavia

**1984: Gold – USA: Silver – Korea; Bronze – Canada

1988: Gold – USA; Silver – Yugoslavia; Bronze – URS

1992: Gold – Unified Team; Silver – China; Bronze – USA

1996: Gold – USA: Silver – Brazil; Bronze – Australia

2000: Gold – USA; Silver – Australia; Bronze – Brazil

2004: Gold – USA; Silver – Australia; Bronze – Russia

2008: Gold – USA; Silver – Australia; Bronze – Russia

* USA chose to boycott the Moscow Olympics

** Bulgaria, Cuba, and the Soviet Union boycotted the Los Angeles Olympics

Source: USA Basketball

The victory gave the Americans their second consecutive gold medal and third in the four times the sport has been contested on the Olympic stage. The U.S. finished second to Norway in Sydney back in 2000.

Here’s a list of medalists since the women’s game joined the program back in 1996:

1996: Gold – USA; Silver – China; Bronze – Norway

2000: Gold – Norway; Silver – USA; Bronze – Germany

2004: Gold – USA; Silver – Brazil; Bronze – Germany

2008: Gold – USA; Silver – Brazil; Bronze – Germany

Source: About.com

Yes, there were complaints about underage Chinese competitors and questionable judging. A subjective sport leaves room for interpretation, and the Americans seemed to draw few breaks.

Still, Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson each grabbed gold for the U.S. Liukin led the way with an American record-tying five medals in all, while Johnson finished with four. As a group, the U.S. came home with eight medals — seven individual and one team.

Here’s the complete list of U.S. medalists:

Nastia Liukin — 5: Gold (1): Women’s Individual All-Around; Silver (3): Women’s Uneven Bars, Women’s Beam, Women’s Team; Bronze (1): Women’s Floor Exercise

Shawn Johnson — 4: Gold (1): Women’s Beam; Silver (3): Women’s Floor Exercise, Women’s Individual All-Around, Women’s Team

Chellsie Memmel — 1: Silver (1): Women’s Team

Samantha Peszek — 1: Silver (1): Women’s Team

Alicia Sacramone — 1: Silver (1): Women’s Team

Bridget Sloan — 1: Silver (1): Women’s Team

Source: nbcolympics.com

While the first week of the Games featured its share of awkward moments and disappointments, Americans had plenty to be happy about, too. Although the week often seemed like Michael Phelps’ personal highlight reel, the U.S. poster boy had plenty of company on the medal podium.

Here are our picks for the top American moments:

1. Michael Phelps wins eight gold medals, bettering Mark Spitz (7) for the most golds in a single Olympics, becoming the face of the Games in the process.

2. Jason Lezak swims one the most remarkable anchor laps in Olympic swimming history, making up nearly a body length on the leader to give the U.S. the gold medal in the 400 meter freestyle relay, keeping Phelps’ chances for a record eight gold medals alive. Lezak goes on to swim the anchor of Phelps’ final race, making Olympic history for both.

3. Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson grab gold and silver respectively in the women’s gymnastics all-around competition.

4. Natalie Coughlin wins her 10th Olympic medal by taking gold in the women’s 100 meter backstroke. She finishes with 11.

5. Rebecca Soni surprises by claiming the gold medal in the 200-meter breaststroke in a world-record time of 2:20.22.

6. Ryan Lochte sets Olympic and world records in winning the men’s 200 meter backstroke.

7. Aaron Peirsol establishes Olympic and world records in winning the men’s 100 meter backstroke.

8. Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh cruise into the women’s beach volleyball semifinals.

9. The U.S. women’s softball team rolls through the early stages of the tournament, getting a no-hitter from Cat Osterman in the process.

10. Mariel Zagunis, Sada Jacobson and Beca Ward get the Games off to a big start for the U.S., sweeping the podium in women’s fencing.

11. Dara Torres, a 41-year-old mother competing in her fifth Olympics, wins three silver medals to push her career total to 12 medals in all. 

Most Olympic hosts encounter problems, some foreseen, some that seem to come from out of the blue. Beijing — already a controversial choice as host in light of human rights issues — seems to have had more than its share of challenges as it (sort of) opened its doors to the world.

Here are just some of the issues that have taken some of the bloom off the nation’s Olympic rose:

1. Murder: An American tourist, a relative of the U.S. volleyball coach, was murdered by a Chinese civilian in an apparently random act of violence.

2. Bad air: Despite efforts to clean things up by reducing traffic and shutting down factories, Beijing’s legendary haze has been an image beamed all across the planet.

3. Nature strikes back: Prior to the start of the Games, Beijing organizers endured bad publicity when a plague of millions of locusts descended on the city and a 154-square-mile algae bloom threatened sailing competition. Some scientists blamed the problems on the country’s rapid growth and the accompanying pollution.

4. Fake fireworks: A spectacular fireworks display during the Opening Ceremonies wasn’t quite what it seemed. The televised images were enhanced by computer generated graphics.

What most of the world knows as football (or futbol), folks in the U.S. call soccer. While we pack stadiums to watch Alex Rodriguez and Manny Ramirez, most other countries don’t know a ground rule double from an infield fly — and don’t really care.

Small wonder, then, that a few of the competitions on the Olympic program seem a little…well, foreign. Taking note of this, Time magazine identified five Olympic sports that may not get much attention in America, but are taken very seriously elsewhere.

1. Badminton

2. Shooting

3. Men’s Hockey

4. Handball

5. Judo

So what’s the big deal with these? Visit Time to find out.

Some are young, up-and-comers. Others are veterans looking for one more moment in the Olympic sun. A few return with hopes of making amends for failures past.

Curious who the magazine expects to dominate the headlines?

Here are the Top 10:

1. LeBron James, basketball, United States

2. Dara Torres, swimming, United States

3. Michael Phelps, swimming, United States

4. Liu Xiang, hurdles, China

5. Yao Ming, basketball, China

6. Allyson Felix, sprints, United States

7. Shawn Johnson, gymnastics, United States

8. Roman Sebrle, decathlon, Czech Republic

9. Guo Jingjing, diving, China

10. Tyson Gay, sprints, United States

To read all about these athletes on the hot seat, and to see the rest of the list, visit Time.

Since then, the outcome hasn’t been quite so cut-and-dried. Basketball has become a truly global game, and staying on top gets a bit more challenging every year. After recognizing that sending college players to take on the world’s professionals had become a losing proposition, the U.S. turned to the NBA for help, putting together the first Dream Team in 1992.

Here’s a list of the gold, silver and bronze medalists since basketball was added to the Olympic program in 1936:

1936: United States, Canada, Mexico

1948: United States, France, Brazil

1952: United States, Soviet Union, Uruguay

1956: United States, Soviet Union, Uruguay

1960: United States, Soviet Union, Brazil

1964: United States, Soviet Union, Brazil

1968:United States, Yugoslavia, Soviet Union

1972: Soviet Union, United States, Cuba

1976: United States, Yugoslavia, Soviet Union

*1980: Yugoslavia, Italy, Soviet Union

1984: United States, Spain, Yugoslavia

1988: Soviet Union, Yugoslavia, United States

1992: United States, Croatia, Lithuania

1996: United States, Yugoslavia, Lithuania

2000: United States, France, Lithuania

2004: Argentina, Italy, United States

*The United States boycotted the 1980 Moscow Games.

Source: FactMonster.com

Kobe Bryant, who missed out on the NBA title when his Lakers were dispatched by the Celtics in The Finals, will have a chance to salvage his summer. So, too, will LeBron James, whose Cleveland Cavaliers failed to defend their Eastern Conference championship this year.

Two members of the Utah Jazz made the cut. So, too, did Jason Kidd, the Dallas point guard who is the only returnee from the 2000 gold medal winner.

Who else will be heading to China?

Here’s the list:

Carmelo Anthony, Denver

Carlos Boozer, Utah

Chris Bosh, Toronto

Kobe Bryant, Los Angeles Lakers

Dwight Howard, Orlando

LeBron James, Cleveland

Jason Kidd, Dallas

Chris Paul, New Orleans

Tayshaun Prince, Detroit

Michael Redd, Milwaukee

Dwayne Wade, Miami

Deron Williams, Utah

Source: USA Basketball