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Why Michael Phelps Has Polka Dot Patterns on His Shoulder in Rio

Phelps didn’t get to bed until 3 a.m. after the excitement of the relay and was on an 11 a.m. bus to the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.

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The 19-time gold medalist packs a lot into his scant off-time: massages, ice baths, eating and some all-important sleep.

United States’ Katie Ledecky, right, celebrates with United States’ Leah Smith after setting a new world record in the women’s 400-meter freestyle final during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 7, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “I was so hyped tonight and so excited”.

Phelps surged ahead in the second leg of the 4×100-meter freestyle relay to give the USA team a lead it held for good.

“I hope that’s a good sign”, Phelps said.

For Australians had to settle with a bronze medal after a slow start saw them sit last after the opening leg, and while the final three were able to claw their way back into contention, the Americans were never going to be caught.

Nathan Adrian anchored the Americans to a time of 3:09.92 to end French dominance of the event stretching over the past two world championships and the London Olympics four years ago.

At that point, it wasn’t really in doubt.

But Phelps insists that his diet these days isn’t quite as intense, saying that he basically only takes in what he needs to get by.

He swam the second leg for the US, who won in a time of three minutes 9.92 seconds, with France second in 3:10.53 and Australia third in 3:11.37.

Little Boomer won’t remember what his daddy did this night.

Still, Serena is looking to capture her second – and second consecutive – gold medal in Rio.

On a big night for the British team, Jazz Carlin won a silver medal behind Ledecky.

The result was totally expected.

That’s the kind of commitment the 31-year-old Phelps has shown over the course of the swimming career that has made him the most decorated Olympian in history.

The only drama was whether she’d take the world record even lower. Teammate Ryan Lochte, the 2015 world champion, holds the world record (1 minute, 54 seconds in 2011) while Kosuke Hagino, the 21-year-old from Japan who figures to be on the podium, has yet to break the 1 minute, 55 second threshold in this event.

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In traditional Chinese medicine, cupping dates back at least 2,000 years, according to a 2012 analysis published in the journal PLOS One.

Cupping Marks Dot Phelps, Other Team USA Athletes