Swimming sensation Michael Phelps

How's this for pressure?

You're 19 years old, America's number one swimmer and preparing to compete in eight events at the Olympics.

And your fans - and the media - expect you to win them all!

Welcome to the world of Michael Phelps - winner of six world titles, holder of three world records, and currently the best all-round swimmer on the planet.

In 2000, aged 15, he became America's youngest Olympian for almost 70 years, reaching the final of the 200m butterfly.

Phelps is cool under pressure

This time around he's expected to clean up, so how does he cope with such enormous expectation?

"You can look at pressure in two different ways," says Phelps. "It's either going to hurt you or help you.

"I see it as something that helps me. If there's pressure on me or someone thinks I can't do something, it's going to make me work even harder.

"I guess it'll give me that little extra edge - that extra fire that I need."

The Spitz factor

Ask any American swimming fan to name their country's greatest ever swimmer and you'll probably get the same answer every time: Mark Spitz.

In 1972 Spitz won a record seven gold medals at the Munich Olympics. Can Phelps equal - or even beat - that record?

US legend Mark Spitz

"My goal is to get one gold medal," he says.

"You've got to start somewhere and after coming back from Sydney with nothing I think that's the place to start."

If he does equal the record, Phelps will earn a $1m bonus from his sponsors. It seems like yet more pressure, but Phelps always keeps a level head.

"If it happens it happens and if it doesn't it doesn't," he says.

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"When it happened in 1972 everyone said it was unbeatable, but I think there are a number of swimmers in the world today who could put up a fight to it."

Whatever happens in Athens, the teenager from Baltimore seems destined to break records for years come.

And if he can achieve that magical total of seven golds he'll become an instant American legend.