Following are the top 10 athletes of the year 2008 selected by Xinhua News Agency:
1. Michael Phelps (male, United States)
The 23-year-old swimmer won eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympic Games, not only refreshing his compatriot Mark Spitz's record of taking seven golds in one Olympic Games (Munich 1972), but also setting the total record of gold taking by a single person (14) in the Olympic history.