Michael Phelps and his coach Bob Bowman look back with pride on the Olympic gold medalist's first major career victory

Michael Phelps and his former Bob Bowman recently reflected on the Olympic champion's first major career victory. Phelps had previously shared a picture of his experience at the 2001 World Aquatics Championships, his first as an individual.

Phelps had taken part in the 200m butterfly event at the World Championships, which were held at Fukuoka in Japan. The swimming sensation uploaded a throwback pic from the event on his Instagram story with the following caption,

"First worlds back in 01! 😳"

Bowman shared the status on his profile, as he added,

"This was a fun one @m_phelps00!"

Screengrabs of Michael Phelps' recent Instagram stories [Image Source : Michael Phelps' Instagram]

Phelps couldn't hold back himself as he shared Bowman's reaction with the caption,

"Thanks @coach_bowman 🙏"

For the unversed, Michael Phelps had made his World Championships debut only a year after his Olympic debut at the quadrennial event held in Sydney in 2000. At the Fukuoka edition of the World Championships, Phelps won the gold medal for the men's 200m butterfly event.

Phelps won the gold medal with a new world record time of 1:54.58 minutes, breaking his previous record of 1:54.92 minutes, which was set in March 2001.

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Michael Phelps opens up about his first World Championships

Michael Phelps recalls his first World Championships (Image Source: Getty)

Michael Phelps once opened up about his experience at the World Championships held in 2001. In his interview with World Aquatics in 2023, the swimming legend remarked,

"This is the first time I've been back to this pool since I won my first world championship gold, in 200 fly. From that event, I can remember my semifinal swim was – I freaked out about it. Franck Esposito and Tom Malchow both went 1:55.03. I went 1:56 and I had like a full-blown panic attack. My coach, Bob Bowman, basically said to me, 'No, you're prepared. Just go do what you know how to do,' "

The victory at the World Championships was only the beginning of the rise of the swimming legend. Phelps went on to add 25 gold medals, 6 silver and a bronze medal in total at the World Championships (long course) during his entire international career.

The swimmer also clinched a staggering 28 Olympic medals, including 23 Olympic gold medals. This also includes Phelps' historic haul at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where he won 8 Olympic gold medals in a single edition.