BEIJING - Michael Phelps was sitting in his room, surfing the net on a recent afternoon when he heard a familiar voice coming from a nearby television.

"Fear," the voice said, "is good."

Phelps whipped around and saw a PowerBar commercial unfolding on the screen. His PowerBar commercial.

"All my friends tell me they are sick of seeing my mug on television," Phelps said. "Frankly, I still am not used to it."

He and his buddies had better make an adjustment. After all, Phelps, a six-time Olympic gold medalist, is positioning himself to become the biggest storyline of the Beijing Games.

Already, his image is easy to find. Not only is it featured prominently at the Beijing International Airport, but a larger-than-life version is also plastered on the Omega building, not far from the "Water Cube," where Phelps will attempt to make swimming history.

On Saturday, the 23-year-old begins his highly publicized quest of becoming the first swimmer to win eight gold medals, surpassing the seven-gold-medal standard Mark Spitz set in 1972. In a span of nine days, he'll hit the water as many as 20 times, all in an attempt to conquer an ambitious program that includes five individual events, four of which he holds the world record, and three relays.

It's a monumental undertaking, one so bold NBC altered its television schedule to follow Phelps' pursuit, and Speedo is dangling a $1 million bonus should he match

or surpass Spitz's mark.

"If they gave out black belts for handling pressure, they'd have to give (Michael) a sixth-degree black belt," U.S. men's coach Eddie Reese said. "He is a genius at handling everything. He expects it, he deals with it and he moves on."

Indeed, Phelps is intent on living as much of a normal, relaxed life as possible while in Beijing, even as the pressure mounts around him. Whether it's playing spades in his Olympic Village apartment with his roommates, watching movies or joking around with Ryan Lochte, one of his closest friends on the team, he's determined not to let outside distractions get to him.

"I want to be the first Michael Phelps, not the second Mark Spitz," he said. "I'm just trying to do something that's never been done before."

That march to history doesn't come without its potential roadblocks, however. As it turns out, one of Phelps' biggest challenges comes donning red, white and blue.

Lochte poses a significant threat, particularly in the 400 individual medley. At last month's U.S. Olympic trials, Phelps edged Lochte in the 400 IM, but both were under world-record pace. So, how would he feel about spoiling Phelps' pursuit?

"I wouldn't mind at all," Lochte said. "I wish him all the best, he is my friend, but if he doesn't do it, it means I did something right."

Still, stumping Phelps won't be easy. This is someone who has drawn comparisons to Tiger Woods and Roger Federer thanks to his dominance and desire to transcend the sport. He's also someone whose love of racing is matched only by his hatred of losing.

Take the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

A 15-year-old Phelps finished fifth in the 200 butterfly. Less than one year later, he was the world-record holder in the event.

Then came the Athens Games, where his steps toward swimming grandeur began. Phelps won six gold medals and two bronze in Greece. His eight-medal haul was the most for any athlete in a non-boycotted Olympics.

"Physically, he's much stronger and more mature. Emotionally, he's very much the same guy," said Phelps' coach, Bob Bowman. "The biggest advantage he has now is he's been through the process before, so he knows what to expect and he's handled all of the other things that come with the Olympic Games better."

Except seeing his mug on TV.