RIO DE JANEIRO – There will come a point in Thursday night’s final of the 200-meter individual medley when Ryan Lochte will look to the lane next to him, see the greatest swimmer who has ever lived, and try to push himself into a gear he must wonder if he even has. There’s an ongoing card game in their suite and they amuse themselves with endless Snapchat sessions. “I’m not happy with it, but it’s just the way it is”.
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With 22 gold medals, he now has 13 more than the next most decorated Olympian. It’s more painful getting out of the pool. Lochte didn’t fare as well as Phelps, coming in fifth after falling behind in the final freestyle leg of the race.
“My career would definitely be different”, Lochte said in an interview with NBC.
Olympic and world champion Florent Manaudou was only fourth quickest among the speed demons in the men s 50m freestyle heats, the giant Frenchman clocking 21.72 seconds.
Rie Kaneto won Japan’s seventh gold medal at Rio 2016 as GB’s Chloe Tutton narrowly finished outside the medals in the women’s 200m breaststroke. Phelps now has a chance to win a fourth consecutive gold in the 200 IM, while Lochte has the opportunity to finally beat Phelps.
Who but Michael Phelps could possibly appreciate the greatness – and it is greatness – of Ryan Lochte, and how the two of them have made each other better?
“I’m enjoying the sport like I did when I was 18”. What’s more, the 12-year Lochte-Phelps rivalry was put to the test for what may have been the last time – and neither swimmer disappointed. “And hopefully I do the same for him”.
Lochte, leading after 100 meters, third at 150, faded to fifth, 1:57.47. It was a far cry from the London Games, where “Missy The Missile” became only the second American woman to take four gold medals in a single Olympics. “And I think we kind of feed off each other in that way”.
Hungary s “Iron Lady” Katinka Hosszu topped the time-sheets in the 200m backstroke heats, clocking 2:06.09 as she bids for a fourth Rio title after completing the individual medley double and winning the 100m backstroke. I don’t know what to say.
The Iron Lady has already collected three gold medals in Rio.
Phelps clocked one minute, 54.66 for a comfortable winning margin of 1.95 seconds.
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Medals also will be awarded in the women’s 200 meter breaststroke, the women’s 100 meter freestyle and in the men’s 200 meter backstroke. He has won the world championships every year since 2009, and while Phelps admittedly didn’t compete in 2015 or 2013, he did in 2011.
