Can you become the next Michael Phelps?

Bob Bowman is an experienced swimming coach.

It didn’t take Bowman long to realise what he had when an 11-year-old Michael Phelps joined his swimming program in 1996.

Immediately the coach knew he had something special, mainly because the youngster had already broken national records but was still very raw in technique.

Obviously the technical coaching has worked. “I feel blessed every day,” Bowman said. “I have such a talented athlete who can overcome my coaching and still do well. I just try to stay out of his way mainly.

“When he was a little younger he surprised me a little bit but not any more. Now he comes up with his own set of challenges and I try to go beyond that. “He’s a kid who really loves to work and he loves to challenge himself, and I think that’s what comes through in his training. Everything he does he compares it to his past performance and tries to get as close to his best training effort that he can.

“That’s how great athletes are motivated. They are not motivated by other people, they are motivated by themselves and that’s where it has to come from because ultimately when you’re at the top there’s no one to catch.”

Can you compare how you train to the young Michael Phelps?