10-Year-Old Named Clark Kent Beats Michael Phelps' Swimming Record

clark kent swimming record

(Image credit: photo from the news story source link screenshot.)

We might be in a world with a real-life Superman. Or, at the very least, 10-year-old Clark Kent is living up to his name (and then some) thanks to his recent accomplishments. The young swimmer pulled off an almost unbelievable feat: he surpassed a record previously set by Olympian Michael Phelps. The child isn't even a teenager yet and, if he keeps up the pace, he might soon become one of the fastest known swimmers on the planet, let alone in the United States. With a name appropriate for Superman and swimming prowess that would make Aquaman proud, Clark Kent is an extraordinary individual.

Here's what we know about Clark Kent Apuada (which is his real name), the astonishing young athlete who is already drawing nationwide attention for himself while bearly being in the double digits. As it was reported by CBS Evening News, Kent participated in the Far West International Championship, and the junior swimmer walked away (or, more appropriately, swam away) with first place prizes in all seven swimming events he participated in. But what is really drawing attention to Clark Kent is his 100-meter butterfly swim, where he won the race in an astonishing 1:09:38. That outshines the record previously placed by Michael Phelps in 1995 in the same competition, assuring that young Clark Kent has a big future ahead of him in the world of professional swimming. Here's what Clark Kent said when he was asked how he feels about being called a real-life Superman.

If I'm Superman in the water, then I'm heroic in the water. I feel like I'm flying... Most people just call me Clark, but when I beat Michael Phelps' record, they start calling me 'Superman.' I thought to myself, 'Yeah, if I have positive thoughts, then positive things would happen.'

Thankfully, there are no hard feelings from Michael Phelps' camp about this recent accomplishment. On Twitter, the Olympian athlete responded to Clark Kent's incredible accomplishments by congratulating the young athlete and encouraging him to continue excelling in his swimming capabilities.

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Of course, 10-year-old Clark Kent Apuada is still a bit too young to compete in the Olympics. Participants have to be at least 15 in order to qualify. Still, Kent is well on his way. He also has a lot of support online if he decides to go for the gold later on. The young athlete has been swimming professionally for four years now, and he is continuing to pursue his ambitions to be a professional swimmer. He hopes that he will be ready to compete in the 2024 Summer Olympics when that time comes. For now, though, Clark Kent is happy to bask in the glow of his accomplishments, and we'll be sure to keep an eye out for when Clark Kent decides to fully emerge as a real-life underwater Superman.

Will Ashton

Will is an entertainment writer based in Pittsburgh, PA. His writing can also be found in The Playlist, Cut Print Film, We Got This Covered, The Young Folks, Slate and other outlets. He also co-hosts the weekly film/TV podcast Cinemaholics with Jon Negroni and he likes to think he's a professional Garfield enthusiast.