Phelps in 9 events in Olympic trials

Michael Phelps is entered in nine events for next week's U.S. Olympic swimming trials. 

Phelps is entered in the 100- and 200-metre freestyles, the 200 and 400 individual medleys, the 100 and 200 backstrokes, the 100 and 200 butterfly races and the 400 freestyle. 

He is a six-time Olympic gold medallist, and holds world records in four events: the 200 free, 200 IM, 200 fly and 400 IM, all of which he set at last year's world championships in Australia. 

Competing in nine events puts the record seven gold medals of American swimmer Mark Spitz at the 1972 Munich Olympics in danger of being eclipsed. 

Phelps holds the distinction of being one of only two athletes to earn eight medals at a single Olympics, which he did in Athens, 2004. 

Phelps has extra motivation to best his Athens results in Beijing. Winning seven or more golds at the Beijing Olympics will earn him a $1 million bonus from his sponsor, Speedo. 

At the 2007 world championships, he set four individual world records and won seven gold medals. If he wins four gold medals in Beijing, he will become the winningest Olympian of all time, with ten.