Phelps swam the final leg an hour after winning his 20th gold in the 200 metres butterfly, a race that made up for a stinging 2012 defeat to South African Chad Le Clos. Tamas Kenderesi of Hungary won the bronze. It didn’t work out the way I wanted it to, but at least I was able to make it to Rio.
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Phelps had won the title at the 2004 and 2008 Olympics and reclaimed it with a block to wall victory in one minute 53.36 seconds on Tuesday.
The American phenom, who won the 400m title with a stunning world record on day two, clocked 1:53.73 to win by 0.35 seconds from Sjostrom with Australia’s Emma Mckeon taking bronze in 1:54.92.
Ledecky, meanwhile, leaves her competitors in her wake in the distance events, such as the 400 and 800 meters.
Phelps didn’t have the lead from the start of the men’s 200m butterfly race, but powered through thanks to a fantastic final turn that helped push him into a first place lead.
It screamed boxing movie more than swim meet, right down to the hooded robe that cast a shadow over Phelps’ grim countenance.
This brings Phelps’ grand total to 25 overall medals!
“That was probably one of my most challenging doubles”, the 31-year-old Phelps said.
Ledecky captured her second gold medal of the Games after holding off a courageous charge from Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom in an absorbing women’s 200m freestyle final.
In the 4×200 relay Phelps’ American teammates Conor Dwyer, Francis Haas, and Ryan Lochte handed him a healthy lead that he would not relinquish.
The top-seeded player in the women’s tennis tournament at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics got upset on Tuesday by Elina Svitolina of Ukraine, deprived of a chance to defend the gold medal she won four years ago in London. Great Britain was second with 7:03.13 and Japan rounded out the podium with a time of 7:03.50.
Fears over Olympic security meanwhile flared anew after a bus carrying accredited press was attacked in Rio late Tuesday.
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“That event was kind of like my bread and butter”, Phelps said.
