Phelps said that in a recent FaceTime conversation with baby Boomer that by waving a gold medal in front of the screen he got his son to stop crying. “It’s just a flawless way to finish”. With 28 medals in all, Phelps is 10 clear of anyone else.
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“It’s not even once in a generation”, said his coach, Bob Bowman. As soon as Michael Phelps appeared, it was like Caesar had entered the Coliseum, the way the stadium crowd shrieked and screamed and did everything but throw rose petals. And Venus Williams can become the first tennis player with five career golds, pairing with Rajeev Ram against Bethanie Mattek-Sands and Jack Sock in an all-American mixed doubles final at 2 p.m. “We did what we came to do, and I’m just so excited”. “This is the best place I’ve ever been in my life”.
“I’ve grown up watching Michael, he’s been the greatest swimmer as long as I can remember, but it’s so incredible to watch it in person”, said USA swimmer Maya DiRado, who then described watching him race her teammates.
Phelps’ long-term mentor does not expect us to see his like again.
Jacksonville’s swimming stars are golden once more.
Ervin was 19 when he won gold in Sydney, where Phelps was a 15-year-old comer. He initially retired after the 2012 London Olympics, only to decide about a year later to return.
But the comeback mounted in 2014 ground to a halt when Phelps’ personal demons caught up with him in a Maryland tunnel, where he was clocked driving 135kmh in a 72kmh zone while under the influence of alcohol on September 30 of that year. “That human spirit, that capacity to heal”.
“My swimming career might be over, but I have the future ahead of me to turn the page and start whatever I want”.
Phelps soaked up aspects of the Olympic experience he previously ignored – serving as a captain on the U.S. team for the first time and carrying the USA flag at the opening ceremony he had never before attended.
During their final training session in Atlanta, a host of swimmers – Phelps and Ryan Lochte among them – took to the streets to record a James Cordin-style carpool karaoke video.
Took a starring role, in fact. That changed at the rehab center, he said, where he was surrounded by people who respected him as a person rather than a medalist. They give him that space because he is the greatest.
“I tried to go out faster and put out a gap between me and the others”.
But will Phelps really stay gone this time around?
“No matter what country you swim for, you’re indebted to Michael Phelps for bringing a lot of exposure to the sport and making it a little more mainstream”, Murphy said. So he began his career by floating on his back.
Phelps bowed out with his fifth gold of the Rio Games in his fifth and final Olympics after powering the United States to victory in the men’s 4x100m medley relay.
He wouldn’t be for long. Joseph Schooling of Singapore built a big lead in the 100 butterfly and easily held off one of Phelps’ patented rallies.
It wasn’t in doubt after that. Adrian pulled away on the freestyle to win in an Olympic-record time of 3 minutes, 27.95 seconds.
Australia, represented by Mitchell Larkin, Jake Packard, David Morgan and Kyle Chalmers, took bronze in 3:29.93.
The United States won its 1,000th Olympic gold medal earlier on Saturday when the American women swimmers won their 4×100 metre medley relay.
Although counting them has proven an inexact science, the U.S. Olympic Committee says the official count coming into the Rio Games was 977 golds, a global high. “It’s a nice number”.
The honour of reaching the milestone was shared by Kathleen Baker, Lilly King, Dan Vollmer and Simone Manuel getting to the wall first ahead of arch-rivals Australia. Denmark took bronze in 3:55.01.
After her landmark victory in the 100 free, Manuel settled for silver this time in 24.09. She already became the first African-American woman to win an Olympic swimming title with her win in the 100 free.
Michael Phelps secured a fairytale end to his career as an Olympic athlete as the USA continued their dominance in the pool on the final night of swimming at the Rio Games on Saturday.
Sam Meech of New Zealand competes in the Men’s Laser class on Day 8 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Marina da Gloria on August 13, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Even with a hugely disappointing performance by Franklin, who didn’t even make it to the final of her two individual events, the Americans still blew everyone away. 1000 gold medals is just the beginning.
