As for Phelps, he was magnificent yet again.
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“I love racing against him [Phelps]”.
“I’m just living a dream come true”.
Phelps left Lochte trailing in his wake.
“I’ve been able to kind of finish how I wanted to”, Phelps said. “Nothing surprises me anymore with that guy. So I’m happy for him”.
United States’ Ryan Murphy, right, prepares to compete in the final of the men’s 200-meter backstroke during the swimming competitions at the 2016 Summer Olympics, Thursday, Aug. 11, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The sports world has run out of ways to describe Michael Phelps.
Japan’s Kosuke Hagino won silver and Wang Shun of China took bronze, both moving dramatically through the field on the final length after turning in fifth and seventh place.
Elliotte Friedman of the Canadian Broadcasting Company got the lanes mixed up and called the race as if Lochte – not Phelps – was leading. He took a deep breath as his eyes welled up, and listened to his country’s national anthem.
For the fourth and final time Americans Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte will go head-to-head in the men’s 200 IM Olympic final, in what has been the greatest rivalry in our sport for the last decade. “This has been a very, very special week for me so far”.
After tinkering away at building a lead, over the final 50 meters, the freestyle leg, Phelps took off.
But at the end of Thursday night’s races, there could be only one.
Lochte has never beaten Phelps in this event on the Olympic stage, but has beaten him elsewhere. With the victory, Phelps also joined track and field Olympians Al Oerter and Carl Lewis as the only Americans to win an individual event four times. Although Phelps had dominated the event at the Olympics, it’s Lochte that holds the world record in the event.
“Obviously, the first one (200 IM), I need to take care of business”, he said.
“When you’re in form coming into an event, it’s hard not to think about outcomes”, Cate Campbell said.
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The two are good friends who’ve pushed each other to be the best, but Lochte still can’t help wondering what his career would be like if there were no Phelps in the picture.
