“Ryan Lochte is going for his 13th career medal, saving the best for last”, he said.
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Michael Phelps gestures to indicate the four gold medals he has won at this Olympic Games as he poses with his gold medal.
Lochte said, “He has separated himself from everyone, not just in swimming but in all Olympic sports”.
“It all started as just a kid who wasn t afraid”.
I can’t say this is my last time swimming. “I want to win just like anybody else”.
“The biggest thing for me through the meet so far”, Phelps said, “Is I have been able to kind of finish how I wanted to”. “It’s for a whole bunch of people that came before me and have been an inspiration to me”.
“I consider that Ryan and I have probably grown closer together as friends this year than we have in the past”.
“I feel grateful to all who supported me and I really wish I would have a chance in the near future to respond to their support and to thank them”. That’s something when I do retire I will miss.
“Whenever I hear the national anthem there are so many memories always going through my head and pretty much every time I hear it I’m in tears”. I tried to hold it back today.
Phelps joined the track and field stars Carl Lewis and Al Oerter as the only Americans to win an individual event four times. The race will likely be the pair’s final face-off after competing in four straight Summer Olympic Games.
Phelps took the lead in the breaststroke leg and eclipsed silver medalist Kosuke Hagino of Japan by almost two seconds, finishing in one minute, 54.66 seconds to Hagino’s 1:56.61.
In reality, Phelps won by over two seconds, while Lochte finished in fifth.
Phelps won eight golds in Beijing 2008.
Simone Manuel of the United States and 16-year-old Penny Oleksiak of Canada tied for the gold medal in the women’s 100-meter freestyle, upsetting world-record holder Cate Campbell. Phelps has said he emerged with a new perspective about what really mattered after his six-week stay.
The grueling double on Thursday appeared to take its toll on Phelps, who was last at the halfway point but battled back to advance to Friday’s final despite being visibly exhausted the final 10 meters of the race as his arm tempo tightened up considerably. That”, meaning fifth place in that 200m IM, “is a low for me.
Phelps won the 100m butterfly title at the 2004, 2008 and 2012 Games and will go for a fourth straight win in Friday’s final. Singapore’s Joseph Schooling emerged as the top qualifier, 50.83. Phelps’ 15 tops Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina.
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Lochte has won one gold medal in Rio, for the USA men’s 4×200-meter freestyle relay race – an event that also won Phelps a gold. It’s uncanny how often they swim directly side by side when pitted against one another in the 200 IM, their signature race. “My legs are hurting”.
