American Mark Spitz won a record seven gold medals at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, a mark Phelps hopes to eclipse this summer. mwm View More Images from this story Visit the Photo Place

Michael Phelps' Olympic destiny:

American phenom eyes record eight gold medals

By STEVE DeSHAZO

Date published: 7/8/2004

LONG BEACH, Calif.--Michael Phelps says it's no big deal. He can swim fast in virtually any stroke, so why shouldn't he?

But while Phelps is just 19, he's not naïve. He knows that his quest to match or surpass Mark Spitz's 1972 haul of seven Olympic gold medals is a huge deal. It could give swimming a shot in the arm that no steroid can match.

"One of my biggest goals is to change swimming and bring more attention to the sport," the Baltimore native said this week. "Doing something no one else has done is one way to bring attention to the sport. We want to test the max and see what I can do."

Last night, Phelps took the first stroke toward his lofty goal by capturing the 400-meter individual medley at the U.S. Olympic trials at the Long Beach Aquatic Center. He did it in a time of 4:08.41, besting his own world record by more than half a second.

It was the first of the six events the man a rival calls "the best athlete in the world right now" hopes to win, both here and in Athens. He has his eye on up to nine Olympic golds (including relays).

But there's a long way to go--and more than just the water to navigate.

Some critics say Phelps is biting off more than he can chew by swimming 17 races in seven days. Others say his coach, Bob Bowman, is pushing his phenom too hard in an attempt to earn glory for himself and a reported $1 million bonus for Phelps from his primary sponsor, Speedo. Still others say NBC is looking for an American star in an Olympics filled with uncertainty.

But, as Bowman puts it: "He's got the talent to win every race he enters. I don't know if he'll be in position to do this again in his life."

Phelps played several sports until he was 11--"mostly as a way for my parents to burn off my energy," he said. He even considered joining Towson (Maryland) High School's golf team as a sophomore, and he flirted with football because most of his friends played the sport.

But out of the water, he was normal, even uncoordinated.

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Date published: 7/8/2004