OLYMPIC SWIMMING Thorpe doesn't see Phelps passing Spitz

Mark Spitz holds the Olympic record of seven gold medals.
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) -- Australian swimmer Ian Thorpe has some advice for U.S. rival Michael Phelps: Forget about trying to break Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at the Athens Olympics.
"In terms of what Michael's trying to do, I've said before and I still hold the position that I don't think anyone's going to win seven gold medals at an Olympics," Thorpe said today.
Phelps has entered 11 out of the 13 men's individual events at the U.S. trials, which start Wednesday in Long Beach, Calif.
But he's considered unlikely to swim all 11 events, dropping some during the meet and keeping his rivals guessing until the last minute about his possible program for Athens.
Phelps, who set five world records at last year's Barcelona world championships, is expected to swim the 100-meter and 200-meter butterfly, the 200-meter and 400-meter individual medley, the 200-meter freestyle and all three men's relays in Athens.
Opportunity
That would give him a chance of eclipsing Spitz's seven medals at the 1972 Munich Olympics.
But Thorpe is adamant that if Phelps only focuses on breaking Spitz's mark, he will return home disappointed.
Thorpe, the favorite in the 400-meter freestyle, will probably race against Phelps in only one individual event in Greece -- the 200-meter freestyle.
"I think he will have an incredible trials and I suspect that he'll have an even better Olympics," Thorpe said.
"I think that he's going to walk away from it a very successful athlete in the pool," he added. "But if he's basing his success, and his reasoning for success, being winning seven or more gold medals, I think he's going to walk away disappointed and he shouldn't."