POINT PLEASANT, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- Olympic gold -- it's a prestigious honor reserved only for the most elite athletes in the world.

It is a distinction one local man won not once, but twice in swimming. Dr. Stephen Rerych did it 40 years ago alongside the man who went on to set the bar in swimming for years to come -- Mark Spitz.

It's a memory that Rerych describes as if it happened yesterday.

"It was great," he said, referring to his gold medal performance in the 4-by-100 men's relay swimming. The date was 1968 -- the place Mexico City.

Rerych, a 6-foot, 6-inch swimmer, towered over his teammates, including Spitz.

"He was not well liked by anyone on the team," Rerych said. "He was cocky."

Despite his personal feelings about Spitz, Rerych respects the legendary Olympian's swimming talent.

"He worked very hard and deserved to win."

It is a talent that's fading in the shadow of Michael Phelps. The Beijing Games brought a new record eight gold medals to Phelps, eclipsing Spitz's record of seven during the 1972 Munich Olympic Games.

"Phelps is in a league of his own," Rerych said.

And how things have changed in four decades. The 1968 Rerych/Spitz 4-by-100 relay team set a world record of 3:31. By sharp contrast, the 2008 team for the same event led by Phelps set a world record of 3:08.

Rerych attributes the difference to better training and technology. Phelps' fame, however, doesn't diminish Rerych's pride in his own accomplishments. He had his heyday and has his own Sports Illustrated cover to prove it.

"I don't take myself that seriously," he said.

Rerych said you can work hard to get to the top of the mountain, but have to work even harder to stay there. He won a second gold medal at the 1968 Mexico City Games for the men's 800-meter relay. That medal is on display at a history museum in Raleigh, N.C.