A year ago today, a kid from Baltimore dived into a swimming pool a dude in a Speedo and emerged a legend. Just shortly after 11 a.m. local time in Beijing on August 17, 2008, Michael Phelps helped his team take first place in a relay race to earn himself an eighth gold medal, breaking the record for the most top prizes taken in a single Olympics. In seven out of the eight races he won, Phelps broke either a world or Olympic record (all told, Phelps holds a grand total of 37 world records, the most recent of which he broke only three weeks ago). The record had been held by Marc Spitz, another swimmer who took home seven golds in 1972. Phelps owns 14 golds and 16 medals total, only two shy of the all-time record held by gymnast Larissa Latynina, who competed for the Soviet Union in 1956, '60 and '64.
Since his unfathomable run last year, Phelps has had a few ups and downs (including a recent car accident), but despite those hiccups he remains a dominant athlete and one of the most recognizable sports stars on the planet. Phelps told reporters that he prepares to compete by listening to music (in Beijing, he was constantly photographed wearing his iPod earbuds) and that his playlists included Lil Wayne, T.I. and Young Jeezy. So at last year's MTV Video Music Awards, Phelps parlayed his celebrity into the opportunity of a lifetime: He introduced a performance by Weezy, one of his favorite artists. In honor of his amazing accomplishment, Phelps should take today to kick back, shine his bling and crank up "Fireman."