INQUIRER Sports

BEIJING -- Michael Phelps's dream of eight gold medals was on the line Monday, as the United States clashed with France in the final of the men's 4x100-meter freestyle relay.

Phelps was slated to swim the lead-off leg in the sprint relay, one of the eight events on a Beijing program that gives him a chance to surpass swimmer Mark Spitz's Olympic record of seven gold medals at one Games -- which has stood since 1972.

But France, boasting 100m free world record-holder Alain Bernard, were reckoned by Phelps's coach Bob Bowman to pose the biggest threat to the swimmer's bid for Olympic immortality.

"The biggest threat to the eight is the French in the relay, they have posted the best times coming into Beijing and it will be a fierce battle," said Bowman, who coached Phelps to his six golds in Athens.

Just how seriously the French were taking the clash was made clear early Monday, when Amaury Leveaux withdrew from the semi-finals of the 200m freestyle in order to save himself for the relay final.

The tension was ratcheted up on Sunday night, when US heat swimmers Nathan Adrian, Cullen Jones, Ben Wildman-Tobriner and Matt Grevers swam a world record three minutes 12.23seconds, with France and Australia also swimming under the previous world record in the preliminaries.

For the final, the US fields Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale, Jones and Jason Lezak.

The French were sending out Leveaux, Fabien Gilot, Frederick Bousquet and Bernard, while Eamon Sullivan, Andrew Lauterstein, Ashley Callus and Matt Targett were due up for Australia.

Phelps, who won the 400m individual medley in world record-crushing style on Sunday, continued his quest for a second individual gold with a semi-final swim in the 200m freestyle, one hour and 13 minutes before the relay final.