College Kid in “Disbelief” After Shattering Swimming Legend Michael Phelps’ Record

Michael Phelps has set some unreal standards in swimming. The Flying Fish has a long list of extraordinary performances and unbeatable records. But in the end, records are meant to be broken. This may be a cliche to many, but a college boy has proven that such phrases still hold ground. 

On January 18, a senior student from St. Mary did what many people couldn’t even think about. The 84th National Catholic High School Championship became the host for a record-breaking performance. 

A college student broke a twenty-year-old swimming record of Michael Phelps

Joe Hayburn, a senior student from St. Mary school and the current Capital Gazette swimmer of the year delivered the best performance of his life so far. Hayburn was victorious in the 100m butterfly and 100m backstroke finals. With this, he became the first Saint swimmer who won two events at the national championships. However, this wasn’t the only big news. 

The bigger surprise came when the time board showed that Hayburn completed the backstroke heat in 47.61 seconds. With this historic figure, he became the fastest person on the planet to achieve that mark. What added to his accomplishment was that he broke the record of the GOAT, Michael Phelps and surpassed his timing of 48.10. 

The 28-time Olympic medalist had held this record for more than two decades. The crowd lost their wits after witnessing the historic feat. Even the star was in utter disbelief after seeing the results. Talking to the Baltimore Sun about his achievement he said, “This is a surreal moment, and I’m so grateful, really.”

Read More: “It’s Hard to Grasp”: After Shattering Yet Another Michael Phelps Record, 16-Year-Old Swimming Prodigy “Left Speechless

A similar record-breaking performance was seen a year back

While the mainstream media is focussing on the exceptional performance by Hayburn, this wasn’t the first time when a budding swimmer surpassed the GOAT. A similar historic moment was recorded last year when a 16-year-old prodigy broke another 2-decade-long record of Michael Phelps. The boy stunned the world after shattering the 400-meter individual medley record after completing the heat two seconds faster than Phelps in the record time of 3:39:83. 

The emerging stars are making serious claims of having the potential to become the next global superstars of swimming. Even lightning-fast Phelps would be proud of the emerging talents. 

WATCH THIS STORY: High School Kid Break Record Of Michael Phelps