By the time he was 13, Michael Phelps wasn't just good in the water – he was downright scary. His times? They'd make most adult swimmers cry. The one everyone talks about is the 200-meter butterfly. At the 1999 U.S. Junior Nationals, he dropped a 2:04.18. That smashed the national age group record for 13-14 year olds. And get this – it was even faster than the 15-16 age group record. Yeah, you read that right. This kid was something else entirely. So the big one – his 200-meter butterfly at the 1999 U.S. Junior Nationals. 2:04.18. That wasn't just a personal best, it was a statement. He absolutely obliterated the national age group record for 13-14 year olds. To give you some perspective? This time would've landed him in the world's top 10 for women back then. And it was beating plenty of grown men too. Insane, right? Look, the 200 fly was his baby, but Phelps wasn't a one-trick pony at 13. He had range. His other times aren't talked about as much, but they're still wild: When you stack Phelps' 13-year-old times against other elite swimmers, it's almost laughable. That 2:04.18 in the 200 fly? Faster than what senior women were swimming at the 1999 U.S. Summer Nationals – they were around 2:08. And plenty of male college swimmers couldn't touch that time either. For context, the world record back then was Denis Pankratov's 1:55.22. Phelps was still a ways off, sure. But his time was closing in on the U.S. Olympic Trials qualifying standard of 2:00.00 – and he hadn't even hit puberty yet. He was in a league of his own among 13-year-olds. His training at 13? Intense, but not over-the-top for someone with his talent. He trained with the North Baltimore Aquatic Club under Bob Bowman. A typical week looked something like this: "At 13, Michael was already doing what most adults couldn't. His work ethic was unmatched, and his times reflected that. He was a machine in the water." – Bob Bowman, Phelps' coach. His fastest recorded 100-meter butterfly time at 13 was about 57.0 seconds. That was a national age group record for 13-14 year olds back then. Nope, no world records at 13. But he did break multiple national age group records for 13-14 year olds – including the 200-meter butterfly and 400-meter individual medley. And that 200m butterfly time was faster than the existing 15-16 age group record. His 200-meter butterfly time of 2:04.18 was faster than the winning time at the 1999 U.S. Summer Nationals for senior women. And it was competitive with plenty of male Olympic swimmers from that era, though he was still a few seconds off the world record pace. His 400-meter individual medley time at 13 was around 4:38.0. Another national age group record for 13-14 year olds, showing he could handle all four strokes. Honestly? Yes. His times were way faster than most Olympic swimmers at the same age. That 200m butterfly time, for instance, was faster than the age group records of lots of future Olympians. But some swimmers, like Ian Thorpe (who was a year older), had faster freestyle times at age 14.How fast was Michael Phelps at 13
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FAQ: How fast was Michael Phelps at 13
What was Michael Phelps' fastest 100-meter butterfly time at 13?
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