CBS Evening NewsIs it a bird? is it a plane? Nope, it’s just a 10-year-old boy smashing a 23-year-old record held by the greatest indoor pool athlete in the history of the sport.
Michael Phelps is not only the greatest indoor pool swimmer the world has ever seen, but there’s a very strong argument the 23-time gold medalist is one of the greatest Olympians ever. Up until his retirement, after Rio 2014, you could bet your life savings he would be walking away with more than one gold medal at the very least.
But while I’m sure he’s happy, with his feet up, he may be tempted to come out of retirement and add another chapter to his monolithic career after Clark Kent broke a record he set back in 1995.
No, not THAT Clark Kent, he’s a fictional superhero. Our Kent (whose full name is Clark Kent Apuada) is 10 years old and while his record-breaking feat is certainly superhuman he’s definitely from Earth not Krypton. And while he may have Superman’s pseudonym his powers are more in line with his fellow Justice Leaguer, Aquaman.
Kent grabbed headlines this week after competing in the Far West International Swimming Championship last Sunday (July 28). He already has a bright future in the sport after he finished first in all seven events, however, it was his performance in the 100 meter butterfly which caught everyone’s attention. Kent didn’t just win the race, he smashed a 23-year-old record set by Michael Phelps at the same meet in 1995 by 1.1 second.
It may not seem like much, but in sport, those fine margins are what separates you from the rest of the pack. It’s what champions are made off.
CBS Evening NewsSpeaking to CBS Evening News, Clark said:
Most people just call me Clark, but now, when I beat Michael Phelps’ record, they start calling me Superman. I thought to myself yeah if I had positive thoughts, positive things would happen.
His swimming coach Travis Rianda, added:
It’s the coolest thing in the world because that’s all he talked about. It wasn’t like, ‘I want to be better than Michael Phelps,’ or anything like that. His first goals were, ‘I want to be a scientist, an Olympic gold medalist for the United States and I want to be a black belt.’ He’s on track for all three of those.
GettySo let’s just break that down for you, he wants to be a scientist, a gold medal Olympic swimmer and a black belt. Basically, Superman wants to be Batman of the seas. Good to know he’s not placed all his eggs into one basket.
While Clark’s still too young to qualify for the 2020 Olympic games in Tokyo, Kent is definitely on the path to be an Olympic athlete.
Phelps himself doesn’t seem to be salty his 23-year-old record has been broken, in fact, he seems happy there is an heir apparent to his throne.
You can watch Michael Phelps test his skills against a Great White Shark:
Reacting to Kent’s record-breaking feat on Twitter, Phelps wrote:
Big congrats to #clarkkent for smashing that meet record!!! Keep it up dude !!#dreambig
Big congrats to #clarkkent for smashing that meet record!!! Keep it up dude !!#dreambig
— Michael Phelps (@MichaelPhelps) August 1, 2018
You know you’re destined for greatness when you get a co-sign from the greatest of all time.
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