It is crucial to have a role model in life. Individuals find their role models in people they look up to in life. And in most cases, it is their parents. However, Michael Phelps was not fortunate on this front.

Although the swimmer had a loving and caring mother, his parents divorced when he was just nine years of age. It weighed in on the athlete for a large part of his life.

Michael Phelps found another father figure due to his father’s absence

Phelps always felt incomplete while growing up. It is partly because of the strained relationship with his father. And the lack of a father figure in his life contributed significantly to this feeling. However, although the father and son tried their best to stay close, they drifted apart over the years.

Phelps’ busy regimen also had a role to play in it. His father, Fred, also acknowledged this as a fact during an interview in 2016. During the interview, Fred said, “I kept trying and trying, but he always had something to do.”

But the GOAT always felt the need to connect with his father. Reflecting back on the times, Phelps said, “For me, not having a father always there was hard.”

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However, his situation would change for the better soon. The Flying Fish was only 11 years old when he started training under coach Bob Bowman. And as soon as the coach laid eyes on the future most-decorated Olympian, he knew that the young kid possessed raw talent.

Bowman was sure the young swimmer would go places if he kept at it. Therefore, the coach approached Phelps’ parents to discuss his future in competitive swimming.

Moreover, he devised a detailed plan regarding Phelps’ future in the sport. However, the Olympian’s mother turned down the offer. Debbie Phelps revealed the conversation they had that day during an interview.

She said, “I told him, ‘If [Michael] doesn’t enjoy it, this isn’t going to happen!”

But things changed quickly, and Michael Phelps grew a liking for the sport. Moreover, the swimmer slowly began to realize his talent at the pool. And with time, the coach and student started to form a close bond.

Phelps’ growing bond with coach Bob Bowman

As time passed, Phelps began to notice a pattern forming in his life. With his growing list of accolades, he bonded closely with Bowman. And the Olympian soon realized that his coach took over his father’s role.

This realization was reflected during an interview when he said, “I had Bob [Bowman] and I had Peter [Carlisle], these guys who acted as father figures.”

Although the most decorated Olympian often struggled with not having his father beside him during the most significant years of his life, he now had a person to look up to during times of need.

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His coach had taken the position reserved for his father. And therefore, Bowman became the fatherly figure Phelps could admire and seek advice from.