Japan’s Kosuke Hagino took silver, and Wang Shun of China took bronze.
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Schooling reached two rare feats – he was one of the few to actually beat Phelps, and he secured the first Olympic gold medal win for his country.
Phelps will also compete in the semifinals for the men’s 100-meter butterfly at 10:34 p.m.
“I hit all my goals right on the nose this week, ” she said. I don’t think I can say a lot of people, that would be a lie, [but] some people believe that Singapore has a lot of talent.
At 31 years old, Phelps didn’t just win the 200 IM – he destroyed his competition.
The win brought Phelps his 22nd gold medal, and his 26th over all. “It’s exactly how I want to exit the sport”.
When Phelps emerged from the pool as the victor, the announcer quickly apologized on air, saying, “I apologize”.
He was lauded by the Rio crowd, with one banner proclaiming “Phelps Greatest Olympian Ever”. He took a deep breath as his eyes welled up, and listened to his country’s national anthem. “And yeah. I’m ready to spend some time with (baby son) Boomer and (fiancee) Nicole”.
Phelps has one more event, the 100m butterfly to go.
He finished second in his semi-final to qualify fifth fastest for Friday’s final.
If you’re Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, the answer is by carbo-loading in matching personal whirlpools.
With the Rio crowd’s excitement mounting, the three turned nearly together after the backstroke, with Lochte a fraction ahead.
Phelps never looked in danger of finishing anywhere but first in the race, with a strong breaststroke leg setting him well and truly up to blitz the field in the final freestyle lap.
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The American finished the final in 1 minute 54.66 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of Japan’s Kosuke Hagino. This time, it’s the most individual medals in an Olympic career.
