If that was the end, and Phelps insists it is, what a way to go out.
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Nathan Adrian, Cody Miller and Ryan Murphy joined Phelps for his last race.
In the stands, his fiancée, Nicole Johnson, bounced along to the music with their son, 3-month-old Boomer, cradled in her arms.
Murphy, like many of Phelps’s teammates, was asked if thought the superstar would really stay retired this time. He plans to marry Johnson after the Olympics and said he wants to watch his son grow, maybe even dole out a swimming lesson or two.
What an incredible race to watch, but Phelps announced after that it would be his last.
The 19-year-old Ledecky joked that she was proud to be part of Phelps’ final Olympics – twice.
“This all started with one little dream as a kid to change the sport of swimming and try to do something nobody has ever done”, said Phelps.
But 100-meter breaststroke gold medalist Peaty wiped out Murphy’s lead in the second leg to send British teammate James Guy into the water 0.41 seconds ahead of Phelps. He wouldn’t be for long.
Earlier, the U.S. team of Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, Dana Vollmer and Simone Manuel won the women’s 4x100m medley in a time of 3 minutes 53.13 seconds, 1.87 seconds ahead of Australia. Australia’s Mitch Larkin, Jake Packard, David Morgan and Kyle Chalmers took bronze in 3:29.93.
Then Adrian held off Duncan Scott in the final straight to give the United States of America their 16th swimming gold medal in Rio.
The women’s quartet of Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, Simone Manuel and Dana Vollmer made history, but were made to work.
The historic victory came with a time of 3:53.13.
At the 2012 London Games, Phelps won 6 medals, 4 gold and 2 silver. She became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic swimming title with her win in the 100 free. At the 2004 Athens Games, the American swimmer won 7 medals, five of which were gold medals.
The U.S. has won the 4×100 medley relay in every Olympics since 1960, except the 1980 Games which the Americans boycotted.
Since he first took the Olympic plunge at the 2000 Sydney Games he has had an ambition to take swimming into the mainstream and there is no doubt the sport has enjoyed a much higher profile during his tenure as its leading figure. One night after his only setback in Rio, an upset loss to Schooling, Phelps was back on top. She finished in 24.07.
Earlier in the night, Manuel took silver in the 50 freestyle. Belarus swimmer Aliaksandra Herasimenia took bronze in 24.11 seconds.
It was another huge disappointment for sisters Cate and Bronte Campbell of Australia.
The U.S. women’s saber team won a bronze medal Saturday with a 45-30 victory over Italy, thereby atoning for some disappointing finishes in the individual event. Pernille Blume of Denmark held off Manuel to capture gold.
Paltrinieri, the 1500m gold medallist at last year’s world championships in Russian Federation, led from the outset and swam under world record pace for much of the race before easing off in the final laps.
World champion Gregorio Paltrinieri blazed to gold in the men’s 1,500m in the absence of defending champion Sun Yang, who crushed out in the heats blaming a cold, the Italian smashing a quality field to win in 14:34.57.
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Detti rallied over the final laps to pass American Jordan Wilimovksy, who settled for fourth.
