Pieter van den Hoogenband is happy to let American teenager Michael Phelps hog the limelight as the Dutchman prepares for his 200 metres freestyle title defence at the Athens Olympics next week.

Phelps is hoping to better Mark Spitz's record of seven gold medals at a single Olympics and has entered eight events at Athens, including the 200 freestyle.

"I don't like the attention, he can have all the attention," van den Hoogenband, who also won gold in the 100 freestyle at the Sydney Games four years ago, told a news conference on Monday.

"I don't want to crash his party, I just want to do my best."

The 200 freestyle at Athens has been dubbed "the race of the century" as it should include the four fastest men in the history of event.

Besides American record holder Phelps and van den Hoogenband, Australia's world record holder Ian Thorpe and his compatriot and former record holder Grant Hackett will contest the four-lap event.

Thorpe comes into the Games with the year's fastest time at 1:45.07, while van den Hoogenband has the fourth fastest time behind Hackett and 19-year-old Phelps.

"It's always nice to have a good strong field and they do well," said van den Hoogenband. "It gives you something extra."

Asked if he was being underestimated, the 26-year-old said: "I hope so."

The heats and semi-finals of the 200 freestyle are on Sunday and the finals next Monday.

Van den Hoogenband said the 200 freestyle had always been something of an "add on" event for him as his heroes were Olympic 100 freestyle champions Matt Biondi and Alexander Popov.

"Why were they my heroes? Because of the 100 freestyle. Like the 100 metres in track and field, the 100 metres in swimming is a big event," he added.