The unbelievably decorated American swimmer – and owner of 23 career Olympic gold medals – is calling it quits, and after last night’s 4×100 meter medley relay final, in which the helped the United States set an Olympic record, he sure went out on a high note!
Advertisement
Phelps set an Olympic record with help from his teammates in the 4×100 medley relay.
The one shortfall in his crowning Games, his second-place finish in the 100 fly to Singapore’s Joseph Schooling, indeed had a silver lining.
Additionally, Maya Dirado and Nathan Adrian contributed a total of four medals to the U.S. Swim team with Ryan Murphy contributing three.
The Beijing Games, where Phelps surpassed the Spitz standard by winning eight golds, offered a dramatic miniseries, from the Jason Lezak superhuman anchor leg in the 4×100-meter freestyle to Phelps’ photo finish in the 100-meter butterfly.
It was the ninth consecutive win for the United States in the 4×100-meter medley, according to Team USA, which said that Phelps officially announced his retirement afterward, with chants of “Michael Phelps” coming from the stands.
Even when he is tripped and falls, he wins an Olympic gold medal.
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) – Brazil spent more than 10 billion dollars preparing for the Olympics and the Rio Games are now in the final week, so many Brazilians are asking where are the medals?
“I wanted”, Schooling said, “to be like him”. “That goes well with me”, he said. “It’s a nice number”.
“It’s really special”, Manuel said. Simone Manuel, who tied for Olympic gold on Thursday to become the first female African-American swimmer to win an individual event, was at it again.
“Just sharing that with three other women is just icing on the top of the cake”.
Known at home for smashing national records and taking multiple titles in regional competitions, Schooling had held the hopes of Singapore, a Southeast Asian island nation of less than six million, which had only won two silvers and two bronzes since it joined the Olympic fold in 1948.
Connor Jaeger gave the US another silver in the 1,500 free, leaving the American with 33 swimming medals in Rio – matching the highest total since they captured 34 against a depleted field at the boycotted Los Angeles Games of 1984.
Earlier in the night, Manuel took silver in the 50 free.
Then last two programs of the swimming tournament brought the U.S two gold medals.
With a gold medal around his neck.
Americans Sam Mikulak and Jake Dalton posted the top qualifying scores on the men’s floor exercise, but Japan’s Kohei Uchimura, Whitlock and British teammate Christian Thomas are also in the hunt Sunday for medals.
Advertisement
The only way imaginable.
