The Americans have certainly made a big splash at these Beijing Olympics.

"The swimming's been pretty exciting," one fan said.

"It was pretty exciting," said another.

But it's one man, chasing Olympic swimming glory, who's caught the eye of many Michiganders and the world.

"What Michael Phelps did was amazing," Darrick Erving, a U of M student, said.

Phelps may be one of the biggest superstars in Beijing, but his journey started at the University of Michigan four years ago behind closed doors and without all the hype.

"Sometimes it was just holding a stop watch standing over a lane and telling him how fast he's going," Jim Richardson, one of Phelp's coaches, said.

And Richardson said the answer was usually pretty darn fast.

"Michael is a laid back guy, but boy he sure doesn't like to lose," Richardson said.

And he hasn't since he's arrived in China.

Richardson chalks it up to the rich tradition of swimming at the University of Michigan and Phelps' god-given talent.

"Michael is trying to do something not, just for himself, but for the sport of swimming," he said.

So with history on the line... what did coach Richardson say to Phelps before he left?

"Good luck, do what you've trained to do," Richardson said.

Most would say, Phelps took his advice.