For swimming fans, there are hardly any relationships more coveted than that of Bob Bowman with the most decorated Olympian Michael Phelps. Bowman is currently at the helm of things overseeing Texas’ swimming program, but imagining his days without the thought of his most celebrated student isn’t probably an easy task. And now, while Phelps continues to appear in almost every swimming-related list ever, Bowman couldn’t help but call out his favorite prodigal son in an affectionate manner.
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Sharing the social media post of Swimming Stats in his latest X (Previously Twitter) post, Bowman took a friendly jibe at the 23-time Olympic gold medalist. “Snuck in there @MichaelPhelps !“, wrote the veteran swimming coach in the caption as he drew attention to the list that shows that Phelps is among the top 10 oldest swimmers to have won a gold in Olympic swimming.
Phelps takes 10th place on the list thanks to his silver-winning performance in the 100m fly event at the 2016 Rio Olympics. According to the data, Phelps was 31 years and 43 days old when he clinched the podium finish at the Brazilian capital. Hailing his feat, his former coach couldn’t help but once again underscore just what makes his star student such a special figure in the swimming community.
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Snuck in there @MichaelPhelps ! https://t.co/6ZSUTru3N0
— Bob Bowman (@coach_bowman) April 16, 2024
The list is topped by Dara Torres, who leads the pack with her silver medal win at the 2008 Olympics in the women’s 50m free event. While Phelps is miles behind the top of the list, his existence on yet another compilation of data will nonetheless make Bob Bowman reminisce some more about their golden times together. Notably, like Phelps, Bowman himself also continues to make his mark in new territories.
Bob Bowman’s new adventure awaits
After helping Arizona State win its first NCAA title in decades, Bowman decided to leave the Sun Devils to bring his specialized skills to Texas for the next season. Considering how successful ASU has been under the tutelage of Bowman, many fans refused to believe the news when it first broke, especially with the date when it came under light. However, once the decision was learned to be made final, further speculations ensued involving his other star student, Leon Marchand. The Frenchman set new records at this year’s NCAA Championship, which many suspect wouldn’t be possible without Bowman being there to show him the way.
Parallels between Marchand and Phelps have become a common thing in the last few years, even more so with both swimmers flourishing under the same coach. However, Leon still has a long way to go if he wishes to be remembered along the same lines as Michael Phelps. Apart from that, as things stand, most of Bowman’s star students will probably follow him for their preparation. Hubert Kos is one name on that list. Now, with Bob finding himself a new home, it waits to be seen if Texas can replicate ASU’s stunning scores next year.
Written by
Edited by
Bhujaya Ray Chowdhury