Look At This Photo Of 9-Year-Old Katie Ledecky Getting Michael Phelps' Autograph

Long before Katie Ledecky started racking up her own Olympic gold medals, she looked up to another legend of U.S. swimming.

ESPN reporter Darren Rovell shared this photo on Tuesday, courtesy of the Ledecky family, showing a young Katie getting a quick autograph from none other than Michael Phelps.

10 years ago: A 9-year-old named Katie Ledecky gets an autograph from Michael Phelps (Credit: Ledecky Family) pic.twitter.com/oOOPns5mor

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10 years ago: A 9-year-old named Katie Ledecky gets an autograph from Michael Phelps (Credit: Ledecky Family) pic.twitter.com/oOOPns5mor
Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) August 10, 2016

Phelps and Ledecky each hail from the Maryland-Washington, D.C., region, so perhaps there is something in the water down there.

Of course, both swimmers have been tearing up the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro . Phelps, 31, brought his gold medal count for the Rio games up to three on Tuesday with victories in the 200-meter butterfly and 4x200-meter freestyle relay . Ledecky, 19, claimed her second gold medal in Rio with a victory in the 200-meter freestyle .

Not bad for the two elite athletes, who 10 years later are still posing for pictures together.