That would break the fabled record of seven that Mark Spitz accumulated in 1972.

NPR: Mr. Phelps' Mission: Saving U.S. At The Olympics

But, heaven help us, should Phelps somehow fail to qualify for enough races so that he can't chase Spitz's record, NBC might just as well bag the whole 2008 Olympics and cry out: Everybody, outta the pool!

NPR: Mr. Phelps' Mission: Saving U.S. At The Olympics

"Someday, I hope to have my own kids, and I want them to live in a world that's environmentally safe and natural, " Spitz said, explaining why she, her mother and her boyfriend had traveled more than 500 miles from Plymouth, Michigan.

CNN: STORY HIGHLIGHTS

If dental records cannot be found, authorities can also check with hospitals for any other X-rays that might have been taken, said Dr. Daniel Spitz, medical examiner in Macomb County, Michigan.

CNN: How authorities identify a burned body

Mark Spitz and Olga Korbut grabbed the headlines while the atmosphere around the Olympic village was so relaxed that off-duty athletes, returning from late nights in Bavarian beer halls, could often be found climbing into the complex over the low chain-link fence.

CNN: Olympic memories: Munich

Spitz won seven golds, four individual, at Munich in 1972 and while Phelps could not match that feat, he is likely to take his tally here to eight medals after Saturday's medley relay final without swimming a stroke.

CNN: Phelps wins gold medal number five