Phelps looks to new swimming program for London

Beijing: Michael Phelps said rest was the first thing on his agenda in the wake of his epic Olympic performance in Beijing, before he and coach Bob Bowman chart a new course for London 2012.

Despite his remarkable achievement - an unprecedented eight gold medals in nine days to take his career total to a record 14 Olympic titles - Phelps says there is plenty left to do to achieve his goal of changing the sport of swimming in the United States.

"There are some things I still want to do to raise the bar a bit more in the world of swimming," Phelps said. "For me, it's still work in progress."

But Phelps, whose Beijing programme matched his schedule in Athens, will spring something new on the world of swimming in London.

He hadn't even dried off after winning the 400m individual medley here when he said he was through with that event - although coach Bob Bowman may have other plans.

"I would say I would like to go down and start sprinting, but Bob isn't so keen on that," said Phelps, who showed in Beijing just how dangerous he could come to be in swimming's shorter races.

Phelps swam the lead-off leg of the 4x100m freestyle relay in 47.51sec, making him the third-fastest performer in history in the prestige event behind current world record-holder Eamon

Sullivan and former world record-holder Alain Bernard of France.

Phelps was also the second-ranked swimmer in the world in the 100m and 200m backstroke in 2007 - one of the top performers all time in each event although neither was on his Beijing programme.

"We'll see how keen he is on going to the sprints," Bowman said. "There is more and different training. He's more naturally suited to longer events."

Phelps said he and Bowman would experiment a little, as they did at the 2005 world championships in Montreal in the wake of his impressive Athens Games.

"I think over the next four years, I would like to try new events and see what happens.

"Bob has said he wants to start fresh and do things he hasn't done before, new training methods and stuff like that."

After moving from his hometown of Baltimore, following Bowman to a coaching job in Michigan, both are planning a return to

Maryland.

"We are going to look at some different events, mix up the training programme a little bit and do some experimenting," Bowman said. "We have plenty of time and we will look at reinventing ourselves.

"We have accomplished this set of goals and I would dare to venture to say we are not going to do it again, at least not like this.

"We will start coming up with some goals that excite him and start working towards them."

But first, Phelps said a little vacation was in order.

"It's something I haven't done for a long time," he said. "I am looking forward to seeing friends, hanging out and sitting down. Not moving.

"Bob has a saying about putting money in the bank and this week was about making withdrawals. I guess I've gotten through every penny. Now it's time to start making redeposits."

But Phelps won't rest too long, especially since his over-arching aim is to raise the profile of swimming in his home country so that it can garner headlines outside of Olympic years.

"I don't want this sport to be an every four year sport," he said. "We get lots of attention every four years, but for the rest of that time there is really not a lot of attention.

"We swim every single day, there is never really an off-season. I just want more people to get involved in the sport and I think it will happen in the next four years."

Besides, Phelps can't take too much time off, since he has to book a spot in the 2009 World Championships in Rome.

"My mom has told me I have to make the (US) team so she can go to Rome," Phelps said.