CHARLOTTE, North Carolina: American swim star Michael Phelps is ready to take the plunge again after capturing a record eight gold medals at the Beijing Olympics and suffering a stunning public humiliation.

The 23-year-old superstar makes his return to competitive swimming after a nine-month layoff starting here on Friday at the Charlotte UltraSwim, where he is expected to swim in five events over three days.

Phelps, who also won six gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics, said last month that he intends to train for the 2012 London Olympics after surpassing legend Mark Spitz by claiming eight golds in an epic pool effort at Beijing.