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As Michael swam his way to history in his last 4×100-meter medley relay event, his 3-months-old baby son Boomer chose to stay asleep. The London 2012 victor Ranomi Kromowidjojo of the Netherlands finished back in sixth.
Thirty one-year-old Michael Phelps, secured his fifth gold of Rio 2016 when he teamed up with Ryan Murphy, Cody Miller and Nathan Adrian to set a new Games record of three minutes 27.95 seconds in the Mens 4×100 medley relay.
Murphy, who completed a backstroke sweep with victory in the 100 and 200 events as well as the medley relay, added he felt breaking Aaron Peirsol’s world record in the leadoff of Phelps’ final race was especially poignant. Boomer Phelps, the newborn is the apple of his parents’ eyes and now the most adorable baby on the Internet.
He wouldn’t be for long.
While there are unknowns ahead, Phelps is confident he is bowing out at the right time.
It wasn’t in doubt after that. A 3:17:59 second Olympics record, Phelps team won this gold.
The victor, however, never seemed in doubt after world champion Paltrinieri took the lead at 150 meters and wore down the rest of the field to win by 4.91 seconds. DiRado has already won one each of gold, silver and bronze in Rio. At 2000 Sidney Olympics, he didn’t won any medal.
“A thousandth gold for team United States of America”, said Simone Manuel, who swam the anchor leg for her second gold of the games and second medal of the night.
Earlier in the night, Manuel took silver in the 50 free. Aliaksandra Herasimenia of Belarus earned the bronze in 24.11. With five golds and a silver in Rio, Phelps has looked remarkably sharp while swimming a heavy load this past week.
Connor Jaeger of the U.S. took the silver, and Italy’s Gabriele Detti won bronze after overhauling Jordan Wilimovsky of the USA in the closing stages.
Detti rallied over the final laps to pass American Jordan Wilimovksy, who settled for fourth.
That is 10 more than the next best.
Productive Whitlock helped Team GB soar to second place in the medal table, with Justin Rose picking up a historic gold medal in the golf after a nail-biting round.
Usain Bolt of Jamaica wins the Men’s 100m Final on Day 9 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 14, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Puig is ranked 34th and is the first unseeded women’s singles gold medalist since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988. Now, 8 years later he achieved his dream of participating in a race with his idol, and ultimately won the race.
“There were lots of ups and downs this week”, she said.
Joseph Schooling of Singapore, the surprise victor of the men’s 100-meter butterfly, was delighted to share the podium with silver medalists Phelps, Chad le Clos and Laszlo Cseh, three swimmers who “changed the face of our sport”.
“He said “good job, that was a great race”, Schooling said. After a DUI arrest in 2014 sent him into what he called “a downward spiral”, Phelps gave Bowman full say over his training regimen.
His glorious time at the pool seems to have come to an end, but his journey as a father has only begun.
“But also spending time with the team”.
He stressed again that the kale-colored water posed no risk to the health of the athletes.
On a victory stroll around the pool, Phelps and his teammates grabbed a sign that said, “Thank You Rio”. American diver Abby Johnston has dubbed it “the swamp”.
I was fortunate to be there for all 28 of those “couple of medals”, at the 2004 and 2008 Games as the lead Olympics reporter for USA TODAY, and at the 2012 and these 2016 Games as a correspondent for TeamUSA.org.
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While the women’s 3-meter springboard semifinals were being held at one end of the facility Saturday, the bigger pool was slowly being drained. “I don’t even know who Lilly King is”, Gatlin said.
