OMAHA, Nebraska (AFP) — Mark Spitz, who set the Olympic gold standard with seven triumphs at one Games at Munich in 1972, believes US swim star Michael Phelps has a great chance to break that record at the Beijing Games.
Phelps was unable to match Spitz's gold haul in Athens four years ago, emerging with eight medals - six of them gold and two bronze.
"I would say based on his experience that he gained from trying to do it four years ago ... I would say that he's got a great chance of doing it, maybe even a better chance (than four years ago)," Spitz said Friday as he dropped in at the US Olympic swimming trials.
Spitz, who watched the early days of the trials on television at home, admitted that some of his expectations were based on his own speculation about Phelps's preparation for the trials.
"I think he's swimming through this Olympic trials, as I did," said Spitz, who said he not only didn't fully back off his training for the all-important qualifying meeting, but he also did not shave down as swimmers do for top competitions.
"When he (Phelps) was telling the press on television that the first race was really hard, that to me was a dead giveaway that he wasn't fully rested," Spitz said.
Fully rested or not, Phelps set a world record in winning his first event here, the arduous 400m individual medley, last Sunday.
He then went on to win the 200m butterfly and 200m freestyle and as of Friday had the 200m individual medley and 100m fly in his sights.
Phelps has also secured consideration for the 4x100m free relay team, posting a personal best time of 47.92sec in the heats before withdrawing from the semi-finals.
Should he qualify on schedule in the 200m medley and 100m fly, Phelps will set up a programme of five individual events and three relays in Beijing.
Spitz cautioned that the relays could be the wildcards, since their outcomes will be less under Phelps's own control.
But the US swimming icon predicted Phelps would put on a spectacular show at the Games, which start August 8.
"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, and he'll be unbelievable," Spitz said. "That's what I suspect is going to happen."
As for himself, Spitz said, he would be happy to see that.
"Records are made to be broken, including mine," he said. "Thirty-six years is a long time.
"And if he doesn't do it, it was meant not to be," Spitz added. "That doesn't take away from his greatness."
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