Phelps was first at the halfway mark and used his low-in-the-water stroke to hang on for the win with a time of one minute and 53.36 seconds. Ledecky, 19, is often called the future of American swimming; Phelps has sometimes been seen as part of its past.
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Michael Phelps blitzed past his competitors in the 200m butterfly event. The bronze went to Hungary’s Tamas Kendersei in 1:53.62, just ahead of the fading le Clos.
Both Phelps and Ledecky have dominated in the pool but it was the main man who commanded the attention after exorcising his demons of yesteryear. Phelps said it didn’t bother him, but judging by his celebration after winning gold on Tuesday night, it evidently did. At age two, Katie’s uncle John Ledecky, then a part-owner of the Washington Capitals, took her to a Washington Wizards game, where she shared a luxury box with Wizards part-owner Michael Jordan.
The world’s most successful Olympian took his remarkable record to 21 gold medals on a stunning night for the United States in the pool.
Going into the final of the 200m butterfly at the on-going Rio Games, Phelps had already won a medal in the relay event but he was keenly looking forward to getting this medal back around his neck. “I didn’t say anything to anyone else, but there wasn’t a shot in hell I was losing it”. He then rejoined the other swimmers and posed for more photos, wearing a beaming smile.
The American led at the turn of the first 100 meters, showing the fluid form for which he’s become famous.
At 31 – the oldest individual Olympic swimming gold medalist ever – Phelps is still the master of the pool.
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Katinka Hosszu claimed her third gold medal of the Games by winning the individual 200-meter medley after setting a new Olympic record. Siobhan-Marie O’Connor of Great Britain took silver. He’s also won silver medals at the 2011 World Championships and, following his return from retirement, at the 2014 Pan Pacific Championships. China has the second-most medals, with 17.
