Michael Phelps Honors Olympic Swim Coach Jon Urbanchek After His Loss of life

Michael Phelps is celebrating the lifetime of his swim coach Jon Urbanchek, who died on Could 9 at age 87.

On Saturday, Could 11, the Olympic gold medalist shared a submit on Instagram to pay tribute to the late Olympic and collegiate swim coach.

“I am past grateful for the time I received to spend with [Urbanchek],” Phelps, 38, started his heartfelt caption.

“I can nonetheless hear him saying ‘maintain it shifting,’ ‘ey , _____ MOVE IT!'” the daddy of 4 continued, seemingly referring to Urbanchek playfully calling him names throughout coaching. “Serious about what he taught me out and in of the pool… some of the influential ppl I’ve had in my life…this man is a legend and really one in all one!”

Within the submit, Phelps shared photographs of Urbanchek holding his now 8-year-old son, Boomer, as a child, and posing with him, spouse Nicole Phelps, their household and a few fellow coaches. He additionally included some selfies of himself and Urbanchek having fun with dinner and spending time collectively.

“RIP buddy…. ❤️❤️,” the 28-time Olympic medalist concluded his caption.

In response to a press launch from the College of Michigan’s athletic division — the place Urbanchek was a former pupil, in addition to a longtime males’s swimming and diving coach — Urbanchek died at his dwelling in Fullerton, Calif.

The late coach, who immigrated from Hungary after the 1956 Soviet invasion, swam for Michigan and later grew to become a coach on the Ann Arbor-based college after his commencement, aiding then-head coach Bob Bowman — who coached Phelps throughout lots of his Olympic appearances and all through his celebrated skilled profession.

Urbanchek served as a Crew USA coach on the Olympics in 1988, 1992, 1996, 2000 and 2004, and acted as a particular coach in 2008 and 2012. He additionally coached “quite a few World Championship, Pan American Video games and different U.S. Worldwide Groups,” the college wrote.

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“All instructed, Urbanchek coached 44 Olympians to greater than 20 medals, together with 11 gold, six silver and 4 bronze medals in 5 general Olympic Video games, counting 4 world file holders amongst his teaching achievements,” the college added.

A number of different main figures within the Olympic swimming world spoke out after Urbanchek’s dying to mirror on his storied profession, together with seven-time Olympic gold medalist Katie Ledecky.

“It’s arduous to precise how a lot Jon Urbanchek has meant to me since I first met him in 2012,” Ledecky, 27, wrote within the College of Michigan’s press launch. “He was my coach on the 2012 Olympic group and he has been a coach, a mentor and a good friend since then. I discovered a lot from him.”

“He was a sort and devoted coach who by no means forgot his swimmers. I’ll always remember his dedication to our sport, his humor, his teaching type and his love for Crew U.S.A,” she continued of Urbanchek. “He was a coach of coaches. I do know that each one of my coaches discovered one thing from him. I’m so fortunate to have had him as part of my group…he by no means stopped teaching and inspiring me.”