Draw your chairs closer into this little group therapy circle, please: that acceptance explains precisely why Michael Phelps is swimming unbelievably great at these 2016 Olympics, which he swears – uh-huh – will be his last.
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Ledecky also became only the third American woman to win four gold medals in a single Olympics, following fellow swimmers Amy Van Dyken and Missy Franklin.
LR: I think it was a time in my swimming career where I needed a change.
“My body is in pain, and my legs are hurting”.
The United States women’s soccer team was eliminated by Sweden in the quarterfinals, a startling loss for the four-time Olympic champions that left Hope Solo without a shot at gold but with plenty of bitterness.
“I’m ready to retire and I’m happy about it”, said Phelps, looking forward to marrying girlfriend Nicole Johnson later this year and spending more time with his baby son Boomer, who was in Rio to watch his dad race. “It’s been a hell of a career”.
A 12-time Olympic medalist, Lochte had settled for two silvers and a bronze behind Phelps at the last three Olympics in this event.
It was the first time that Phelps has even hinted Rio might not be the end. I love seeing the way she attacks things. Another American, Nathan Adrian, took the bronze.
But Phelps was in a league of his own.
Phelps missed out on a 23rd Olympic gold medal by finishing in a three-way tie for second in the 100 metres butterfly, but has one final opportunity in the 4x100m medley relay on Saturday. But as her sweep of individual events in Rio showed, that polish is now shining brilliantly.
Schooling said: “When I saw him I was shell-shocked”.
Campbell turned 0.12 inside her own world record before being caught by the two women on either side of her – American Simone Manuel and Canadian schoolgirl Penny Oleksiak, who shared gold in a 52.70sec dead heat. It was the country’s first gold medal in any sport. “It’s faster than I went, I think, four years ago to win”. “But, I mean, I went out there and swam as fast as I could and my color just comes with the territory”.
“I don’t know if I’m in better shape than I was in 2008”, Phelps said of his fitness now compared to the year he won eight gold medals in eight events in Beijing.
Neither one made the podium by themselves. She holds the freestyle world records in the 400, 800 and 1,500 – an absurd combination of speed and endurance – and Friday, she not only annihilated the 800 field, but shaved a couple of seconds off her world record with a time of 8:04.79, eight seconds under her Olympic record and almost 12 seconds ahead of British silver medalist Jazz Carlin. Campbell, incredibly, finished outside of the medals in fourth.
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And that will be his final event, Phelps insisted.
