Michael Phelps hardly needs an introduction. The legendary American swimmer has 28 Olympic medals to his credit. An inspiration to young athletes, Phelps’ professional trajectory has been exemplary. Even post-retirement, the decorated athlete often makes the headline.

But this time, it’s not Michael Phelps that grabbed the attention! 17-year-old young prodigy David Popovici made the heads turn.

David Popovici Following Michael’s footsteps?

David Popovici made history in Rome after shattering the 13-year-old 100 free world record. Popovici finished the 200-meter freestyle in 1:42.97, making him the third-fastest man in history to reach the feat.

Read Top Stories First From EssentiallySports

Click here and check box next to EssentiallySports

SwimSwam connected Bob Bowman, Phelps’ coach, after the race. The coach gave his insight and said that Popovici has “an ability to pace,” Adding further, he said, “He knows how to not only go for a race but go for it in a way so that he uses his energy effectively over the entire distance.”

Read More: “I Would Just Rip It Up”: Brittney Griner and Michael Phelps, Victims of Childhood Bullying, Used Same Coping Mechanism for Their Emotions

Bowman also mentioned that he expects Popovici would run the 200-meter freestyle in 1:42 at some point while having dinner with Phelps. Drawing similarity with Phelps, the veteran coach added, “they were built similarly, really skinny, little guys… they’re generating speed by reducing drag, right? Which is the best way to do it anyway.”

Last year, Popovici missed out Olympic medal by cutting 1.96 seconds off his personal best in the 100-meter freestyle. He lowered his personal best by 0.58 while coming up just two-hundredths of a second short of an Olympic medal in the 200m freestyle in Tokyo.

Michael Phelps’ Love For Golf

Post-retirement, Phelps has been investing a lot of time in playing golf. Recently, Michael Phelps posted a lot of golf-related content on his Instagram page. He plays golf frequently. Phelps is a fierce competitor in golf and regularly discusses it.

He motivates a new generation of athletes while he trains for his next life goal of improving at golf. He stands as an example of how one should pursue new goals in life.

Watch This Story: Michael Phelps’ Biological Advantage Nearly Put His Life In Danger

Michael demonstrates his continued motivation and dedication to keeping fit through social media posts. A strong advocate of mental health and young athletes, Phelps remains unstoppable. Fans are all eager to see what else Michael Phelps may accomplish in the future.