Earlier this week, a photo circulated of a 9-year-old Katie Ledecky getting an autograph signed by Michael Phelps. Ten years later, she's an Olympic gold medalist for Team USA. And now it's time for Phelps to get his own flashback moment — back in 2001, Phelps was just another pimply 15-year-old boy (granted, one who'd competed at the 2000 Olympics already) who just wanted to get his learner's permit. That and win his first gold medal at the 2004 Games in Athens. You know, just regular kid stuff.

Phelps went on to win not one but six gold medals, and two bronze, at the Athens Olympics, and the 31-year-old's career has only continued to skyrocket since then.

Michael Phelps of USA receives the gold medal for the men's swimming 100-meter butterfly event during the Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games. Getty Images

For his part, Phelps is such an unstoppable swimming machine that joking about how he's sprouted gills has become cliché. On Thursday, the champion won his 22nd Olympic gold medal and beat a record set by an Ancient Greek around 2,160 years ago. But back in 2001, he had one simple goal: "I just want to get faster."

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