He set the swimming pool on fire during the Beijing Olympic Games, winning a record eight gold medals. He will be back at the Water Cube, this time to shoot a TV commercial.

Michael Phelps was welcomed by fans and the media as he landed in the Chinese capital on Saturday night.

Phelps, who yesterday seemed to enjoy every moment of his return to Beijing, told sina.com: "There are so many memories: I competed at the Water Cube and I competed at the Olympic Games in Beijing."

Phelps not only won the most number of gold medals at a single games to eclipse¹ fellow countryman Mark Spitz's 36-year-old record, but also became the highest ever Olympic gold-medal winner, with 14 hauls². He hopes to add to that tally³ at the 2012 London Olympics.

The Water Cube will be the main attraction for the swimming ace⁴ this time, too, though for another reason.

But he said: "Hopefully, I will make it a back (to the water) ."

In another interview with sohu.com, Phelps said in a lighter⁵ vein⁶ that he even drank some water at the Water Cube, which gave him magical powers.

Since his visit comes a couple of weeks before the Year of the Ox begins, he tried his hand at some calligraphy⁷, too, stroking the Chinese character for "ox" with a paintbrush. The Year of the Ox starts on Jan 26.

"Being back here brings back some of the greatest memories of four months ago," he said. "Those memories are going to be with me throughout my life. It's pretty amazing to come back and have some of the same feelings that I had four months ago. It really made me so happy and so excited."

Life will be more relaxed for him after his achievements in Beijing, he said. "The next four years are going to be exciting years ... I will be able to try some new events, some different things in training that I haven't done before," he said. But "the next four years are going to be more relaxed and more calm".

The US media have reported that after relaxing for several months, Phelps is ready to resume⁸ training from February 1 to prepare for the US National Championships from July 7 to 11. He will also compete in the World Championships in Rome later that month.

Questions:

1. Michael Phelps beat which American’s record of most gold medals won at a single games?

2. What did drinking the water at the water cube claim to do, according to Phelps?

3. What Chinese character did Phelps paint in calligraphy?

Answers:

1. Mark Spitz

2. It gave him magical powers.

3. Ox