For Phelps, anything less than a gold medal would be a disappointment.
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Lochte became the second-most decorated male swimmer behind Phelps with his 12th career Olympic medal, surpassing Mark Spitz and Matt Biondi. Brazil’s Arthur Zanetti, the defending Olympic champion, is also in the mix.
In London, Phelps miss-timed his touch on the 200 meter butterfly, and le Clos took home gold.
Four years on since losing his 200-meter Olympic butterfly title, Phelps taught his rival Chad le Clos a brutal lesson. The American could still win another three medals.
“It’s going to take a ideal performance in order to beat him just because of how tough a competitor he is”, Lochte said. “I took it pretty fast and forced everyone and once I was ahead I was not going to let it out of my hands”.
Russia’s Olympic team has complained to Rio organizers after flags hanging in its Olympic village accommodation were allegedly desecrated.
Phelps held off Japan’s Masato Sakai with a time of 1 minute, 53.36 seconds, but that number was of little concern.
Regardless of the outcome, the atmosphere back in their room at the Olympic Village will stay chill. It was his first ever silver medal in the Olympic Games. Since 1988, Greece has been the only host country not to win a swimming medal – in 2004. Australia claims the silver and Canada takes the bronze.
Phelps got off to a rousing start at the Rio Games by leading his 4×100 freestyle team to the gold medal on Sunday. He broke the World Record in his first race, when he won the 400-metre individual medley.
“It was a stressful race and I feel good now it’s over”. ESPN reporter Darren Rovell posted it Tuesday night, and it’s been retweeted 20,000 times as of Wednesday morning.
Luckily for Phelps, his relay teammate Conor Dwyer gave him his own cap in time, and by the time Phelps hit the water the race was all but over.
“This is a race I really wanted tonight”.
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They are followed in the American all-time gold-medal standings by Jenny Thompson and Matt Biondi (eight golds), Ryan Lochte (six) and Gary Hall (five) – all swimmers. Both Campbells are medal favorites after landing on the podium at last summer’s world championships.
