RIO DE JANEIRO -- When Singapore's Joseph Schooling looked up at the giant scoreboard after touching the wall in the men's 100-meter butterfly Friday night, he celebrated his win by punching his fist in the water, and then headed over to Michael Phelps.
Schooling reached two rare feats -- he was one of the few to actually beat Phelps, and he secured the first Olympic gold medal win for his country.
And if you wondered why the two swimmers seemed to have somewhat of a rapport after the race beyond simple sportsmanship, it's because they both first met many years ago.
Flashback to 2008
Phelps and Schooling reportedly first met in 2008, when Team USA held a training camp in Singapore before the Beijing Olympics. Schooling was just 13, and apparently awestruck.
"They came to the country club that I trained at," Schooling told The Guardian. "Everyone just rushed up and was like, 'It's Michael Phelps! It's Michael Phelps!' and I really wanted a picture."
Above is that photo. Schooling also told the newspaper and reporters after his Friday win that he would not be where he was today without meeting Phelps.
"If it wasn't for Michael, I don't think I could have gotten to this point. I wanted to be like him as a kid," Schooling told reporters. "I think a lot of this is because of Michael. He is the reason why I wanted to be a better swimmer."
Back to the present
Here are Phelps (31) and Schooling (now 21) again, with their medals:
