Michael Phelps created a tidal wave in Beijing winning a record eight gold medals.
Already the winningest Olympian ever with 14 gold's, the 27-year-old Phelps says he will retire after competing in seven events in London. He'll swim in the 200 and 400 individual medleys and the 100 and 200 meter butterflys plus three relay races. His toughest competition could come in the 200 and 400 individual medleys against fellow American Ryan Lochte, who won both events at the 2011 worlds.
Although the U.S. has some of the most dominant individual swimmers, Australia is the team to beat in the relay events especially in the 4 by 100 free.
While Phelps and the men will draw much of the attention, there is another American who could have a break out performance in London. 17-year-old Missy Franklin. Nicknamed "Missy the missile" she won five medals at last year's worlds and is scheduled to swim in a U.S. record seven events including the 100 and 200 meter freestyle.
Fresno State senior Dani Yoho who competed in the 50 meter free style at the Olympic trials says a big key to winning the sprint races is getting off the blocks.
Dani Yoho: "If you can have a really power start then you will definitely get ahead at the start and it's a huge advantage. And then you'll have the open water so there wont be any waves in your lane which means you won't have to fight through the water and people's waves. So any advantage from the start is setting you up for a good race."
Michelle Dockendorf is another bulldog who qualified for the Olympic trials, she competed in the 200 meter breaststroke.
Michelle Dockendorf: "Most importantly for breaststroke I think it's the fundamentals not just swimming going back and forth. But it's definitely more of a mental sport than a physical sport."
And no country has been more dominant in the pool than the stars and stripes. The U.S. has won 214 gold medals. And it's 489 total medals are still 40 more than the next five countries combined. The Americans will look to continue their reign when they dive into the pool beginning on July 28th.
The world's best swimmers hit the water on July 28th. The final events end on August 10th. Along with television coverage, you can catch all the Olympic action on NBC's Olympic website by clicking here.
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