U.S. Swimming Champion References Iconic Picture to Narrate Long-Time Meetup With Idol Michael Phelps

Imagine a chance encounter with your childhood hero, only to grow into a celebrated swimmer standing shoulder to shoulder with them. What does this feel like? Amazing? Well, for swimming icon, Cody Miller, his first meeting with Michael Phelps was one core memory moment for the 2016 Olympic gold medalist. 

Along similar lines, Miller recently pulled off the curtains from his first meeting with the Flying Fish and shared various nooks and crannies of the time when he first saw the legend in person. The prodigy has taken to his Instagram handle and posted nostalgic moments with Phelps.

A Teen’s Unlikely Encounter in the Swimming World

On December 19th, 2023 Cody Miller took to his Instagram handle and shared a new few seconds clip that showcases him speaking about the historic and nostalgic moments of his Life. The video caption reads “Meeting the GOAT for the first time! @m_phelps00 #Swimming.” 

In this endearing footage, Miller recounts the day, at the age of 16, when he serendipitously crossed paths with Phelps at the airport. 

The two shared a plane ride merely six months after Phelps’s historic triumph at the Beijing Olympics. He says, “The very first time that I met my childhood idol Michael Phelps I was 16 years Old and randomly I ran into him at the airport and I got to ride on the same plane as him and this is the photo that we took after the plane.”

Reminiscing the year, when he first met the Blatimore Bullet, Miller added, “This was for Michael just 6 months after the Beijing Olympics games where he won 8 olympic gold medals and he had no idea that I was you know an up and coming pretty decent swimmer”

The warmth and kindness of his idol resulted in a timeless throwback photo capturing the essence of an extraordinary and unexpected meeting. Apart from this, he is famously known as the iron man of the swimming world. With this, the American star has earned the moniker “breaststroke prodigy.” Interestingly, back in 2016 Miller and Phelps shared the same pool.

Cody Miller’s and Phelps in one pool

The nostalgia hits at the top when back in year of 2016, Cody Miller, stepped onto the grand stage of swimming alongside the iconic Michael Phelps. He embarked on an unforgettable journey. Furthermore, joined by fellow Olympians Ryan Murphy & Nathan Adrian, the trio aimed for glory in the 4x100m medley relay.

The iron man, Miller in his maiden Olympic appearance, captured bronze in the 100m breaststroke, and Adrian, a force to reckon with, earned two individual bronze medals and added a golden touch in the 4x100m freestyle relay with Phelps, Ryan Held, and Caeleb Dressel.

READ MORE: “She’s That Kind of Person”: US Olympic Gold Medalist Decodes Katie Ledecky’s Swimming Legacy

Watch this story: Swimming Legend’s Halloween Edition: How Michael Phelps’ Childhood Friend Lightened Up His Family’s Spooky Celebration