The New Nation - Internet Edition

AFP, Los Angeles

Four years on from Athens, Michael Phelps will arrive in Beijing poised to make Olympic history - and join the select few whose feats see them transcend their sports. Mark Spitz, who set the Olympic gold standard with seven swimming triumphs in Munich in 1972, predicted Phelps not only will break the record, but do it in spectacular style. "I would expect that a month from now you're going to see him win by margins and set times that have never been done before," Spitz said. "He'll be unbelievable."

The reason, Spitz said, is that Phelps is "as experienced, and, in some ways, more experienced than I was going into doing this."

"He won six gold medals (in 2004), and I only won two the Olympics before I won seven."

Already grouped with such swimming icons as Australian Ian Thorpe and Spitz, Phelps has lately been drawing comparisons to greats Tiger Woods - winner of 14 major golf championships - and Roger Federer, winner of 12 tennis Grand Slam titles.

Phelps will swim the same events in Beijing that he tackled in Athens: the 200m and 400m individual medleys, the 100m and 200m butterflies the 200m freestyle.