Michael Phelps credits coach Bob Bowman for teaching him an important quality that helped him becoome the most decorated Olympian of all-time

Michael Phelps shouted out to his coach, Bob Bowman, who helped him visualize his races well enough to make him the most decorated Olympian in history. Phelps began coaching under Bob Bowman at 11, when he had already broken the national record for his age group in the 100m butterfly.

Michael Phelps was a precocious talent who showed his flair in the pool at a very tender age, prompting Bowman to convince the Baltimore native's parents to shift him to a school where his swimming efforts would be appreciated. Bowman also suggested an Olympic entry in 2000 and believed Phelps had a high chance of medaling in the 2004 Olympics.

Fast forward to 2000, and he became the youngest swimmer to make the US Olympic team in 68 years. In 2004, he won six gold and two bronze medals, recording the second-best performance ever at a single Games. The 40-year-old broke multiple records in his career, besides adding the most Olympic medals to his wall of fame.

Continuing to inspire with his legacy years after retirement, Phelps returned to his roots to thank his lifelong coach, Bob Bowman, who taught him to visualize his races in a way that half the work was done in his mind. The 28-time Olympic gold medalist shared a post on his Instagram story and captioned:

"Thx @coach_bowman"

Phelps shouts out to his coach; Instagram - @m_phelps00

The Instagram post also shared the legend's extraordinary performance at the 2008 Olympics when he swam with water-filled goggles but still won gold. Phelps earned 82 medals from major global long-course competitions.

Michael Phelps once revealed that his coach, Bob Bowman, was nothing less than a father figure to him

Phelps at the Profile Of Former Olympic Swimmer Michael Phelps - (Source: Getty)

Since Michael Phelps trained under Bowman from the age of 11 to his retirement in 2016, he once opened up about how the latter was instrumental in shaping both his life and his swimming career. He once shared how his coach's belief helped him reach the peak of success.

“My coach, who at times, I'll say it, was a pain in the a**, but without him, I would not have the chance to be who I am in the swimming pool, period, or who I am on land. He taught me so much. He was a dad to me. He believed in me as an 11-year-old kid. He sat with me and my parents and said 'You could make the Olympic team in four years' and I was like, 'Oh, cool. Let's go. Where do I sign up?'” he said in his speech after getting inducted into the US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame (2022).

Phelps won eight World Swimmer of the Year, two FINA Swimmer of the Year, and 11 American Swimmer of the Year honors, among others.

Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder