“There’s a lot of adrenaline running through my body when you walk into a venue like that.”

Those were the words of Michael Phelps, 22-time Olympic medalist, 18-time Olympic gold medalist, about the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil that will host the swimming competitions beginning on Saturday morning.

Phelps said that when he walked into the arena, he just imagined it filled with people, as it will be for all of his races over the next 8 days.

Phelps’ Olympics officially begin on Friday evening when he carries the flag to lead the U.S. delegation into the Maracaña Stadium at the Opening Ceremonies. His first competition is expected to be on Sunday evening, where he’s slotted to swim in the finals of the men’s 400 free relay, should the Americans qualify.

Phelps’ comments carried a much more up-beat tone than ones by the Australians earlier in the week, who complained about the warmup facility’s water quality.