Hoff, Phelps's "little sister", heads for gold

Enlarge Photo Michael Phelps (R) and Katie Hoff share a laugh as they wait for their introduction... Slideshow: Day in Pictures: 6th July 2008

Tue, Jul 22 11:57 PM

By Alan Baldwin

LONDON (Reuters) - Michael Phelps refers to Katie Hoff as his little sister and the 19-year-old has an Olympic programme almost as ambitious as her phenomenal compatriot.

Having missed out on any medals as the youngest American athlete (15 years two months) in Athens, Hoff is now a hardened veteran set to compete in five individual events and one relay in Beijing.

To put that into perspective, no U.S. female swimmer has won more than five medals at a single Olympics and Amy Van Dyken in 1996 is the only one to come away from a Games with four golds.

Hoff will also try to win two individual golds in one day in Beijing, aiming for victory on Aug. 13 in the 200 metres freestyle and 200 individual medley -- a feat last achieved by East German Cornelia Ender in 1976.

Hoff trained in Baltimore with Phelps who is gunning for Mark Spitz's 1972 record of seven golds in a single Games.

"I've learned I can handle it," Hoff said of the programme and pressure ahead of her. "It's a challenging schedule, mentally and physically.

"Having done it once now it gives me confidence I can do it again."

Hoff won three gold medals at the 2007 world championships in Melbourne, in the 200 and 400IM as well as the 800 freestyle relay, and was named USA Swimming's female athlete of the year.

She also won three golds at the 2005 world championships in the same events.

Hoff came to national attention as a 14-year-old when she recorded the fastest time in the 400 metres individual medley at the U.S. Spring championships ahead of the Athens Games.

The Stanford-born swimmer, who in 2006 signed a 10-year deal with swimsuit maker Speedo, broke the 400m IM world record at the 2007 worlds.

That mark was lost to Australian Stephanie Rice in March this year but Hoff reclaimed it at last month's U.S. Olympic trials.

"I don't know if people really do appreciate how awesome she is," Jenny Thompson, America's most decorated woman swimmer, told the Baltimore Sun this month.

"Even when she was 14, she had the shine, the mentality of a champion," said Thompson, who won eight gold medals in a career spanning four Olympics.

Hoffs's career has some remarkable parallels to that of Phelps, who also made his Olympic debut as a 15-year-old and as the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic delegation.

Phelps was the outstanding swimmer of Athens as a 19-year-old. Beijing could provide a similar stage at the same age for his former North Baltimore Aquatic Club team mate.

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