LAKE BUENA VISTA -- Olympic champion Michael Phelps showed off his eight gold medals at Walt Disney World Friday and talked with News 13's sports anchor David Baumann about his role as America's newest sports hero.
Phelps is the most prolific Olympic athlete of all-time with 14 gold medals -- eight earned in the most recent Olympics.
Baumann: "Has it sunk in what you just accomplished in the Olympics?"
Phelps: "I think being able to go through what I just went through here at Walt Disney World, my first time back in the U.S., I'm really seeing the reaction from people, fans and the people in the park today. It was incredible. People waving the American flag, Pictures, screaming, they're saying they're so proud and its a cool feeling to be able to have that kind of support and, I mean, it's something I've never experienced before and something people dream of, and I'm just living a dream."
Baumann: "He's already committed to the 2012 Olympics. It's a scary thought. Can you get better?"
Phelps: "I probably won't swim the next program four years from now. This was going to be pretty much the last real big go at it, to see if I could do a program like this. We're going to have to see what happens in the next four years. I'm not ruling anything out, but I'm not going to guarantee I'll do the same program."
Baumann: "You're stepping out of your comfort zone, hosting "Saturday Night Live'"s series premiere. Steve Martin holds the record of 14 times hosting, is it only natural that you are going to go for Steve Martin and that record?"
Phelps: "I gotta start with one. I'm kind of nervous, to be honest. Being in front of a live audience, being on national TV live, it's kind of nervewracking, but I think it's going to be fun. It's going to be something I've never done before and something that all my friends say, 'Dude, we have to be in the stands for that. We have to be in the audience. We have to be able to watch you do this. It's a once-in-a-lifetime thing.' I'm just looking forward to it. It's going to be a great experience for me and, you know, growing up I'd watch Peyton on there, I've seen Shaq, I've seen some of those guys perform on there, so I'm just looking forward to getting on there and having some fun."
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