Whether Phelps is aware of such comparisons with his ancient Olympian counterpart is unclear, but there is no doubt he is fully focused on ensuring that he bows out of his final Games on a high. At 36, five years older than Phelps, he won his last three golds in 152 B.C., in footraces of about 200 and 400 meters and in a shield-carrying race. That is what he did.
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“I probably wouldn’t be the swimmer I am today if it wasn’t for Michael because we bring out the best of each other”, said Lochte, who grew up in Daytona Beach and swam at Florida.
“I think it means a lot with some of the issues going on in the world, like police brutality”, she said.
Certainly Phelps and Ledecky are leading the way.
Even as another round of rain made for a steamy day once the skies cleared in Rio de Janeiro, South America’s first Olympic Games lingered under clouds of grief, doping and disrespect.
Ledecky joined Debbie Meyer as the only women to sweep the three longer freestyle events at the same Olympics. The 19-year-old American was almost seven seconds faster than anyone else. Canada’s Hilary Caldwell won the bronze medal. News, Phelps was quoted saying: “Joe (Schooling) is tough”. It was taken in Singapore when Schooling was 8.
United States’ Megan Rapinoe, kicks the ball past Sweden’s Lisa Dahlkvist during a quarter-final match of the women’s Olympic football tournament between the United States and Sweden in Brasilia Friday Aug. 12, 2016. As the 100 meters heats begin, American Justin Gatlin and fellow Jamaican Johan Blake will try to rain on Bolt’s parade.
The final day of swimming at the games will likely give us our last look at all-time record medalist Michael Phelps in an Olympic competition.
“Anything he does in the sport he deserves because I know how hard he trains day in and day out”. That’s what I wanted to do.
“It’s wild to think I learned to swim over 20 years ago and it’s all stopping, competition-wise”.
Schooling was equally complimentary of Phelps.
Phelps, meanwhile, was humble in defeat as he heaped praise on the 21-year-old champion. In the longer of the two, the man to beat is David Rudisha, though he did struggle in the Kenyan trials. For good measure, she earned silver anchoring the 4×100 free relay, showing the sort of speed that has only recently become part of her repertoire but bodes well for her branching out even more in the future. The answer was the same for everyone.
“He is just proving he is easily the greatest swimmer of all time and I am excited to see what he does next because once that guy gets hot you can’t really stop him”, said relay team mate Conor Dwyer.
Phelps beamed as he stood on the medal stand with Cseh and Le Clos.
“Things started hitting me this morning”, he said. “Being able to close the door on this sport how I want to – that’s why I’m happy now”.
Allyson Felix, who won’t get a chance to repeat for gold in the 200, takes to the track after winning the US trials over Phyllis Frances. Maya DiRado of the United States, who has won gold, silver and bronze at her first Olympics, was third fastest in 2:08.60. Together, they own the top 10 fastest times in the event. The winning time was 50.39 seconds.
Le Clos finished second to Phelps in the 200m butterfly this time and felt he had let down his parents Bert and Geraldine, who have been diagnosed with cancer.
On the pool deck, as they walked around the stadium, Schooling had confessed something to Phelps.
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“I don’t know how to wrap my head around that”, Phelps said.
