“It might be once in 10 generations that someone like Michael Phelps comes along”.
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Yes, the act itself was familiar.
Rio de Janeiro: Michael Phelps brought down the curtain on his glittering Olympic career when he helped the United States of America win 4x100m medley relay gold at the Rio Games on Saturday, taking his personal tally to 23.
It’s no question that Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer of all time (unless Katie Ledecky has something to say about it after another few Olympics).
Adrian picked up two individual bronze medals in the 50m and 100m freestyles in Rio and won gold alongside Phelps, Ryan Held and Caeleb Dressel in the 4x100m freestyle relay earlier in the week. Phelps won five gold and a silver in Rio, raising his total to 23 gold and 28 overall medals. Though he’s looked spectacular at age 31, Phelps has insisted this week that he does not plan on coming back to swim in Tokyo in 2020. They give him that space because he is the greatest.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet”, Schooling said.
While Phelps wasn’t all that persuasive when he first retired after the 2012 London Games – and, indeed, he began eyeing a return to swimming about a year later – the big hug for Schooling and the huge smile when it was done told a different story this time.
Phelps said he wanted to change the sport of swimming, teach kids to believe in themselves and not be scared to know that the sky is the limit.
Jazz Carlin finally touched in 8:16.17 to claim the silver, just ahead of Hungary’s Boglarka Kapas grabbing the bronze in 8:16.37. Phelps says he eats less now, though he still acknowledges a breakfast that includes a three-egg omelet, three pieces of French toast and coffee.
She also captured a second silver when she finished second in the bang-bang finish of the 50-meter freestyle.
Two lengths later and the U.S. was in the clear and heading for gold followed by Team GB which would eventually claim silver and Australia bronze. “It’s a nice number”.
And although teammates Lilly King, Kathleen Baker and Dana Vollmer had all won Olympic medals before, they celebrated excitedly among themselves as Manuel moved further clear of the field. And yet, the 2000 gold medalist in the 50 freestyle – now 35 – capped an unbelievable comeback story Friday night by winning the same event 16 years later.
“[It’s the] last warm-up, last time putting on a suit, last time walking out in front of thousands of people representing my country”. Aliaksandra Herasimenia of Belarus earned the bronze in 24.11.
In the men’s sprints, where Jamaican men are equally strong, Usain Bolt coasted to victory in his heat as he seeks to become the first man to win three 100-meter titles in a row.
Connor Jaeger gave the USA another silver in the 1,500 free, leaving the American with 33 swimming medals in Rio – matching the highest total since they captured 34 against a depleted field at the boycotted Los Angeles Games of 1984.
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The U.S. also won 33 medals at Sydney in 2000. Justin Rose of Britain is the third-round leader and will be trying to win golf’s first gold medal in 112 years.
