BEIJING -- Having completed the long road to China, American swimmer Michael Phelps is now preparing to tackle the final steps to sporting immortality.

Phelps' journey to Olympic greatness began in Athens four years ago when he won six gold medals but he has his sights set on eight in Beijing.

If successful, he will break Mark Spitz's record of winning seven golds at a single Olympics, set in Munich in 1972, but even if he wins half his races, he will still become the most prolific gold medalist of all time.

US swimmer Michael Phelps adjusts his goggles during a training session ahead of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games August 8, 2008. [Agencies] Click for more photos

It would be a staggering achievement and although the odds are stacked against him winning the lot, no-one is prepared to dismiss his chances.

"I've seen him do some of the most amazing things," said Eddie Reese, the head coach of the US men's team. "I would safely say I would never bet against him."

Phelps has been desperately trying to talk down his prospects but has failed miserably in trying to keep a lid on all the hype.

The International Olympic Committee agreed to switch the swimming finals from evenings to mornings so that his races could be seen live on American television in prime time and his arrival in Beijing was the sort of reception normally given to pop stars.

"The biggest advantage he has now is that he's been through the process before," his personal coach Bob Bowman said.

"So he knew what to expect and he's handled all of the other things that come with the Olympic Games better."

While Phelps has hogged the headlines, he is not the only swimmer striving for a place among the sport's greats in Beijing.

His team mate Katie Hoff has also entered five individual events and is a candidate for the relays as she eyes Kristin Otto's record of six swimming golds, won in Seoul in 1988.

Hoff was so overcome with nerves at Athens in 2004 that she vomited on the pool deck but said she is ready to cope with everything that comes her way this time.

"I don't feel scared anymore, or like the world is swirling around," she said. "I'm a hundred times better now."