"It's frustrating that records didn't last longer" - When Michael Phelps opened up about losing 18-year standing 200m butterfly world record 

Michael Phelps held the men's world record in the 200m butterfly for eighteen straight years before it was broken by Kristóf Milák of Hungary in 2019. While the 23-time gold medalist was frustrated that his record didn't last longer, he acknowledged it was also necessary for the sport to grow.

Phelps made his first Olympic team in the 200m butterfly at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials, and while he didn't win any medals at the Olympics, he became the youngest man in history to break a world record when he clocked 1:54.58 in the 200m butterfly at the 2001 World Championships.

It was the Baltimore Bullet's first of 39 world records, and he later improved the record to his career-best time of 1:51.51 in 2009. It was broken by 19-year-old Kristóf Milák at the 2019 World Championships, clocking 1:50.73 to win the 200m butterfly gold medal and Phelps was understandably sad.

At the same event, American swimmer Caeleb Dressel also broke Phelps's 100m butterfly record of 49.82, swimming 0.32s faster than him during the semifinals. Speaking about the loss of his records in an interview with the New York Times, he said:

"It's just crazy because butterfly was the one stroke that meant the most to me, right? To have them both be gone in the same week was not what I was expecting, by any means. The 200 fly was especially hard because I'd had that record for more than half my life. And before I came along, it was my sister Whitney's event. So it runs deeper than just saying, 'This is my record.' That stroke has been in the Phelps family for a long time," Michael Phelps said.

Phelps' sister, Whitney, was also a swimmer, a specialist in the 200m butterfly.

The 39-year-old had also revealed that he had told coach Bob Bowman about a potential return to swimming if the 400m Individual Medley world record got broken.

"I sent Bob [Bowman, his longtime coach] a text after the 100 fly record was broken that said, "I swear to God, if my 400 I.M. record gets broken, I'll meet you in Colorado Springs for training." That one I think is pretty safe for now," he added

It was the swimmer's last individual world record to fall, and five years after the American swimmer it was safe, Bowman trained Leon Marchand broke the mark at the 2023 World Championships. During the 2019 interview with NYT, Michael Phelps expressed frustration that his records didn't longer. He, however, acknowledged the sport needed to grow.

"It's frustrating that the records didn't last longer, but I love being able to see kids breaking through. That is awesome. You have to have performances like that in the sport in order to see the sport continue to grow and evolve," he concluded

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Michael Phelps on Leon Marchand breaking his last individual world record: "I knew he wasn’t going to fade."

Michael Phelps with Leon Marchand at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka (Image Source: Getty)

Michael Phelps was in attendance at the 2023 World Championships in Fukuoka when France's Leon Marchand clocked 4:02.50 to beat the American swimmer's 20-year-old standing record in the 400m Individual Medley. Recalling his emotions after the race in an interview with Prestige, he said he had a feeling the French swimmer was going to break the record.

"I can say I hold the longest-standing swimming World Record. That’s something really cool. But in Léon’s race, as soon as he turned with 100 metres to go and he was a body length ahead of the record, I knew he wasn’t going to fade," Michael Phelps said

Marchand broke Phelps' Olympic record in the event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, clocking 4:02.95 for the gold medal win. He won four gold medals and one bronze at the quadrennial event.