OLYMPIC THROWBACK: Video shows 11-year-old Michael Phelps winning butterfly race at 1997 swim meet

We've all seen Michael Phelps race to victory during his Olympic competitions - but this video deserves its own Throwback Thursday gold medal.

Posted on YouTube by Jeff Cooper, an 11-year-old Phelps can be seen swimming a 50-yard butterfly race during a 1997 Maryland All-Star meet - that's more than 3-years before his Olympic debut in Sydney.

SwimSwam.com said that Phelps clocked a 26.7 for the 50 yard race and came out on top.

"A few things have changed about Phelps' stroke since then, but all of the basic components are clearly recognizable. Breathing nearly every stroke, the same wide entry that he's always had; there's no doubt that this is Phelps," the article said.

But the biggest give-away that the young swimmer in this video is Phelps - check out the pre-start arm-flap! Here is another video posted by Jeff that shows another Phelps race: https://swimswam.com/michael-phelps-swimming-again-at-11-years-old-200-free/

READ MORE: https://swimswam.com/new-video-of-11-year-old-phelps-uncovered-same-block-routine-from-a-decade-ago/