Then again, Lochte said that in 2012.
Advertisement
Phelps won his 21st career Olympic gold medal on Tuesday night in the 4x200m freestyle relay. Even with Phelps at the 100 meter mark, Perreira fell behind on the breaststroke portion of the race and ultimately finished seventh.
Where does that leave Lochte?
The Brazilians have a stake in the 200 IM, too. It’s more friendly than competitive these days, and lacks the animosity that’s simmering underneath Phelps’ rivalry with South African swimmer Chad Le Clos.
In 2004, Phelps helped win gold in the 4×200-meter freestyle relay with a split time of 1 minute, 46.49 seconds, leading to Team USA beating Australia by 0.13 seconds.
After tinkering away at building a lead, over the final 50 meters, the freestyle leg, Phelps took off. The two exchanged a fist bump as they looked up at their times, Phelps No. 1 among qualifiers in 1:55.78, Lochte in 1:56.28.
“Nothing surprises me any more with that guy”, Lochte said of Phelps.
Since Michael Phelps has more gold medals than any other Olympic athlete in history (21 and counting), it’s nearly hard to imagine the time when the record-setting swimmer was still dreaming of his first. In any other era, he would be a swimming god. Phelps is already the most decorated Olympian of all time.
After realizing his mistake, the broadcaster said, “I apologize, I got my lanes mixed up”.
They are also roommates. “Being able to finish how I won is just something very special to me and this is why you are seeing more and more emotion on the medal podium”. “It’s just really relaxed”.
Lochte had hoped to swim five or six events in Rio. Phelps is in is fifth Olympics. Since the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Lochte and Phelps gave competed in the 200IM.
The win also surpasses a 2,168 year old record, held by Leonidas since 152 BC, who won 12 individual events over four Olympics.
In London, Phelps slipped a bit, failing to medal in the 400-meter individual medley for the first time since 2000. And on Thursday night they will do so, side by side, for likely the last time.
If Phelps was a country he would now rank 11th out of 43 countries that own at least one medal in men’s swimming.
Advertisement
“It’s going to take a flawless performance to beat him”, Lochte said. “Win or lose, outside of the pool we’re going to be friends”.
