“Work Should Be Celebrated as Well”: Michael Phelps’ Coach Bowman Honors His Legacy at Olympics

The Beijing Olympics saw a soon-to-be-famous swimmer Michael Phelps in the USA color, reigning the pools for event after event. That game witnessed the young swimmer owning eight gold symbols till the end whistle. The first of those came in 400m IM, swimming with a stellar clocking of 4:03.84. No one could believe that anyone would surpass the record, breaking the jinx of 4:04 timing in the event. The exception remained in one individual only. 

Coach Bob Bowman remained sangfroid on that day, only waiting for the next 14 years to bring out another champion who would resurrect himself in a Michael Phelps way. But that couldn’t lower the mutual relationship Bob Bowman and Michael Phelps enjoyed. The recent occasion fervently attested to that. 

Bob Bowman highlights Micheal Phelps’ unmatched record at the Olympics

As the Paris Olympics turns inches closer, the record books have started to take center stage again. In one such milieu, Swimming Stats by SwimSwam shared an anecdote that showcased the identities of the most decorated male swimmers in the Olympics. The caption gave out the topmost name in the list as it read, “Michael Phelps is not only the greatest Olympic swimmer of all time, but also the greatest Olympic athlete of all time.” It triggered the upcoming commotion as Bob Bowman joined the occasion.

The ASU Sun Devils swimming coach mollified his comments on his IG story regarding his former wunderkind pupil. It said, “The WORK should be celebrated as well. Unprecedented in both scope and intensity”, tagging the Baltimore Bullet.

The humbled giant replied, “Thx @coach_bowman #teamwork” in his IG story. Previously, the coach took the better of another occasion, where Michael Phelps’ name popped up as the first swimmer, being a five-time Olympic champion.

The legendary coach shared the list in his IG story to congratulate the Flying Fish. The demureness of Michael Phelps remained the same. He wrote, “A wild yet amazing career @coach_bowamn Thanks,”. However, the camaraderie between them proved to be astounding as Bob Bowman nurtured an aura to be a man of the moment. 

The everlasting paean 

Even after touting French swimmer Leon Marchand as the next Phelps, Bob Bowman never went off-footed on his Olympics sensation student. “The thing that made him great was the work,” was his take on Phelps’ achievements throughout the Olympics. However, the teamwork took the front seat when the 38-year-old swimmer unfurled his side. 

Read more: Walking in Michael Phelps’ Footsteps, Leon Marchand Finds a Newfound Passion in Arizona Devils’ MLB Ground

“Over the years in the workouts, when Bob’s gotten me to the point where I just can’t move, he’s demanded of me that I still do the right turns, the right stroke. So that once I do get to that stress level, I can still handle everything the right way and how I need to,” he said to the Washington Post. At the onset of the Olympics, that could be a success lesson. 

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