“They Payed Off”: Michael Phelps Thank Coach Bob Bowman for an Impossible Looking Victory 14 Years Ago

Swimming legend Michael Phelps is one of the greatest athletes the world has ever witnessed. Nicknamed “The Flying Fish”, Phelps has won 28 Olympic medals, of which 23 are gold. Phelps holds the record for most Olympic medals and gold medals in both – team and individual swimming events. So far, no athlete has reached close to achieving Phelps’ feat.

The swimming legend has often credited his coach for helping him create a successful career. In one of his recent social media posts, Phelps thanked his coach Bob Bowman for an epic heat that occurred 14 years back.

Michael Phelps’ appreciation for coach Bowman

Robert Bowman, famously known as Bob Bowman, began coaching a young Michael Phelps during his days at North Baltimore Aquatic Club. He was with Phelps till the end of his swimming tenure.

Throughout the years, Bowman helped “The Baltimore Bullet” to attain numerous records and compete under many difficult circumstances. One such incident happened in 2008 when Phelps’ goggles filled up with water, and he couldn’t see anything underwater. However, the great Olympian swam blindly for 175m, won the gold medal, and broke the world record. Phelps later said that his training for the Olympics had prepared him for situations like these.

Even without much visibility, he knew how many strokes were required to reach the first position. While remembering this iconic win, Phelps shared a post on Instagram his story and thanked coach Bowman for his long practice hours. He captioned the story, “All of those strokes n time 50s… thx @coach_bowman.” He also added some laughing emojis and wrote, “They all payed off!!”.

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Coach Bowman is currently the head coach of Arizona State University, where he trains up-and-coming swimming stars to achieve their dreams like Michael Phelps.

2008 Beijing Olympics – The peak of Phelps

Although Phelps’ entire career is a display of his superior and magnificent skills, the 2008 Olympics was the pinnacle of his swimming journey. Phelps had won a gold medal in every event he participated in at the Beijing Summer Olympics.

On August 12, 2008, Phelps became the only Olympian to win eight gold medals in one single edition of the Games. The entire stadium had uproared in cheers and applause as they witnessed the GOAT create history. Even today, it is one of the most talked about events in sporting history.

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And like many other times, Phelps appreciated his coach Bowman, who had helped him achieve this near to impossible victory.