--- description: Clark Kent Apuada just bested a longstanding Michael Phelps swimming record set back in 1995 — and Phelps himself has taken note. title: A Kid Named Clark Kent Has Flown Past Michael Phelps' Record image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Newsfeed](/tag/time-section-newsfeed/) ## Newsfeed Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # A 10-Year-Old Named Clark Kent Has Flown Past a Michael Phelps Record  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 2, 2018 8:29 PM CUT  by [Raisa Bruner](/author/raisa-bruner/)  ## Raisa Bruner Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Aug 2, 2018 8:29 PM CUT Ten-year-old swimmer Clark Kent Apuada of California has [grabbed attention](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/10-year-old-named-clark-kent-breaks-record-held-by-michael-phelps-for-23-years/ "undefined") in his sport after finishing first in seven events at the Far West International Swimming Championship, and breaking [Michael Phelps](http://time.com/5116696/michael-phelps-boomer-warmup/ "undefined")‘s own record in the 100-meter butterfly, a record set by the [all-time-winningest](http://time.com/4870480/michael-phelps-race-shark-week/ "undefined") Olympian back in 1995\. And Phelps himself has already become a fan of the young athlete with the famous name. “Most people just call me Clark, but now when I beat Michael Phelps’ record, they start calling me Superman,” the burgeoning aquatic superstar told CBS News. (Soon, they might also be calling him [Aquaman](http://time.com/4853722/comic-con-2017-movies-television/item// "undefined"), given the nature of his powers.) His coach further told CBS that the swimmer is interested in being “a scientist, an Olympic gold medalist for the United States, and a black belt. He’s on track for all of those things.” No big deal. While the soonest that Apuada could think about heading to the [Summer Olympics is 2024](http://time.com/4943235/paris-olympics-2024-terrorism-isis-security-threat/ "undefined") in Paris, France — at which point he will be 16 — Phelps himself already has an eye on the aspiring champion. “Big congrats to #clarkkent for smashing that meet record,” Phelps tweeted on Tuesday. “Keep it up dude!” (Luckily for everyone involved, Phelps’s own progeny — including two-year-old [Boomer](http://time.com/4396589/michael-phelps-son-boomer-swimming/ "undefined") and new [baby Beckett](http://time.com/4920983/michael-phelps-baby-two/ "undefined") — may already be practicing in the pool with their famous dad, but they won’t be eligible for Olympic competition until at least 2032 and 2036, respectively.) > [](https://twitter.com/MichaelPhelps/status/1024765399592652801) ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5356745/michael-phelps-clark-kent/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5356745/michael-phelps-clark-kent/"},"headline":"A 10-Year-Old Named Clark Kent Has Flown Past a Michael Phelps Record","datePublished":"2018-08-02T20:29:46.000Z","dateModified":"2026-04-13T07:54:09.007Z","description":"Watch out, Boomer and Beckett Phelps","url":"https://time.com/5356745/michael-phelps-clark-kent/","keywords":["Newsfeed","Michael Phelps","Sports"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Raisa Bruner","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/raisa-bruner/"}],"articleSection":"","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/tag/time-section-newsfeed/","name":"Newsfeed"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5356745/michael-phelps-clark-kent/","name":"A 10-Year-Old Named Clark Kent Has Flown Past a Michael Phelps Record"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Relive all of Michael Phelps’ Gold Medal Moments in pictures","description":"As Michael Phelps is heads into what is likely his final Olympic swim on Saturday, TIME surveys all of his gold-medal moments in this snappy video.","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/qTMehIoT/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2016-08-13T14:03:08.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/qTMehIoT.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/5356745/michael-phelps-clark-kent/","duration":"PT23S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/5356745/michael-phelps-clark-kent/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```