Today, Michael Phelps commands a sort of respect in the swimming community, and beyond, that is unrivaled. With 23 Olympic gold medals under his belt, the Baltimore Bullet is easily one of the greatest athletes of all time. However, even he didn’t reach his revered position overnight. Instead, Phelps toiled in the swimming day and night to become the GOAT. But Bob Bowman knew even in the early days that his star student would go on to become a legend.

As a coach, Bowman’s accolades are numerous. Having trained some of the greatest swimmers stars including Phelps, Leon Marchand, and Allison Schmitt, Bowman isn’t alien to watching titular talent from the front row. And yet, the sight of the Flying Fish decimating all competition remains bright in the Texas Longhorns’ head coach, who admits it wasn’t difficult to realize that Micahel’s prowess was exceptional.

Michael Phelps was an immense source of confidence for his mentor

In a post by Arizona State Sun Devils alum Kyle Sockwell on Instagram from January 16, the iconic swimming coach reiterated how Michael Phelps would never fail to stun him every once in a while. When Sockwell asked about Bowman’s experience of watching the most “alien-like” thing from an athlete, the seasoned coach didn’t hesitate to mention the 39-year-old retired swimming sensation. “I’m going to go back to Michael. A week before the Beijing Games. I typically do this thing, you probably did it. I’ll do three 100s of a stroke,” Bowman recalled how it was a casual training session that made him stand in awe at Phelps’ stupendous skills in the pool.

Noting that athletes can take some to find their groove, and might take a long time to finish the first rep, Bob stated how Phelps was like in a league of his own. The coaching celebrity chuckled, “He did butterfly, and the first one he was like 55.3, and I mean like he could not have swam easier. And then the second one I was still like, ‘Well he’s still pretty easy, I wonder if he’s doing anything.’ He’s 53.6 and this is from a butterfly,” he said with a grin, and Sockwell looked impressed.

While he admitted that the leg suit Michael Phelps had on might have impacted his speed, even Bowman wasn’t prepared for what came next. “…the third one was 51.6. In a practice…and other people timed it, they were like ‘Oh my god! That was 51.6’,” Bob notes how Phelps was electrifying to watch, and revealed that he knew then that he had nothing to worry about. “After that, I was like, I’m on vacation. It’s up to you. You’re ready. You’re good to go,” was the first relieving thought that went through Bowman’s mind. His confidence wasn’t misplaced, and it seems like Phelps also still can’t nod his hat toward the man who helped him become a global icon.

A match made in heaven

Bowman did his best to set Phelps up with challenges to make him better. In 2020, Bowman told The Profile, “I’ve always tried to find ways to give him adversity in either meets or practice and have him overcome it,” about how the training was a rigorous process. Maybe that’s what paved the way for both their success. In 2023, both Bob Bowman and Michael Phelps were inducted into the Class of 2023 Hall of Fame by The International Swimming Hall of Fame (ISHOF). As of today, there are hardly any Olympic swimming top-10 or top-5 lists where Phelps’ name isn’t in, and his coach couldn’t be prouder about it. Unsurprisingly, his star student also loves to shower love on the former.

Soon after Sockwell’s IG post, Michael also took to the platform to respond. “Guess @coach_bowman had me ready,” laughed the swimming GOAT. Quite the mentor-mentee relationship, wouldn’t you agree? What other duos do you believe can take on the legacy that’s created by these two incredible swimming icons? Tell us below!