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