They make it look so easy. Whether they're dashing to the finish line at breakneck speeds or hoisting hundreds of pounds of weights high into the air, Olympic athletes are in a class of their own. Although they're all truly fantastic athletes, some shine even more brightly than their competitors. Here, a look at some of the most amazing human feats of all time.

1. Speedy swimmer

It's hard to forget the hype surrounding young swimmer Michael Phelps at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Still a teenager, Phelps competed in eight events, medaling in all of them and winning the gold in six. He also broke four Olympic records that year, completing the 100 meter butterfly in 51.25 seconds, the 200 meter butterfly in 1 minute 54.04 seconds, the 200 meter individual medley in 1 minute 57.14 seconds, and the 400 meter individual medley in 4 minutes 8.26 seconds.

2. Fast feet

For several years, the only person who could break Carl Lewis's record in the 100 meter race was Carl Lewis (he set a world record of 9.92 seconds at the 1988 Olympic, besting it three years later with a time of 9.86 seconds). Then Michael Johnson and Canadian runner Donovan Bailey chased the title of World's Fastest Man in the 90s. Bailey set a new record for the 100 meter (9.84) in 1996, while Johnson broke the 200 and 400 meter records (19.32 and 43.49 seconds) that year.

3.  hopes

The 1988 Olympics were dominated by two women, who happened to be sisters-in-law: Jackie Joyner-Kersee and Florence Griffith Joyner (known as FloJo). Joyner-Kersee has won six medals and holds the long jump and heptathlon world records. The heptathlon is a mixed bag of events: 100 meter hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 meter race, long jump, javelin throw, and 800 meter race. Her long jump record stands at 7.49 meters. FloJo, who holds the world records for the 100 meter and 200 meter dashes (10.49 seconds and 21.34 second, respectively), was sometimes called the fastest woman in the world.

4. Heavy lifter

Imagine hoisting more than 400 pounds above your head. That's exactly what Olympic weightlifters do on a regular basis. The actual amount of weight lifted depends on the class and type of lift (two types are known as the snatch, and the clean and jerk). Hossein Rezazadeh (sometimes called the Iranian Hercules) holds all Olympic heavyweight records: lifting 472.5 kilograms (about 1,042 pounds) total, 212.5 kilograms (468 pounds) in snatch, and 262.5 kilograms (578 pounds) in the clean and jerk.

5. Ice queen

Olympic speed skater Bonnie Blair not only consistently finished first in her events, she also won the 1,000 meter race by its largest margin of victory ever, according to the International Olympic Committee. Even though Blair became the first American woman to ever win five gold medals (she also has a bronze), she was still beat out for all-time most golds by another speed skater, Lydia Skoblikova, who won six for Russia during the 1960s.