Michael Phelps wasn’t about to be stopped. Not even by his biggest rival.
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Michael Phelps won his 22nd career Olympic gold medal in the 200-meter individual medley.
Michael Phelps gestures to indicate the four gold medals he has won at this Olympic games as he poses with his gold medal. Later the announcer tweeted, “I’m sorry everyone. I’ve been able to come back and I’ve been able to accomplish things that I just dreamt of”, he said.
Phelps was back in the water 38 minutes later to swim in the 100-meter butterfly semifinals.
He finished second in his semi-final to qualify fifth fastest for Friday’s final. Then Simone Manuel tied for gold, finishing at the exact same moment as Canadian Penny Oleksiak in the 100-meter freestyle, making her the first African American woman to earn a medal in an individual event in swimming.
“I don’t know how to wrap my head around that”, Phelps said. “We’re racers, it’s meets like these that I love the most where he and I get to go and kind of duke it out”.
The 200 IM was touted as the last showdown between two of America’s greatest swimmers, although there has never been any question about which one has the upper hand.
Phelps had edged out Lochte for the top time in Wednesday’s semifinals, posting a 1:55.78 to Lochte’s 1:56.28.
Phelps finished the final in 1 minute 54.66 seconds on Thursday, nearly two seconds ahead of Japan’s Kosuke Hagino at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium. “This is exactly how I want to exit the sport”. Brazilian contender Thiago Pereira, buoyed by an ecstatic crowd, led after the opening butterfly lap and was equal second at the halfway point, but faded to finish seventh. “He and I have been racing since 2004 together, and I think when we race each other, we bring each other to a different level. Anytime I get up and race him, it’s the best”.
Trailing in his wake Japan’s Kosuke Hagino and China’s Wang Shun followed him to take silver and bronze.
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Ten minutes before the race began, Phelps, 31, and Lochte, 32, could be seen in the waiting area as a medal ceremony was performed at poolside for an earlier race.
