Michael Phelps competes in the Men’s 200-meter Individual Medley Final on Day 6 of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
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Hagino, who won the 400m medley last weekend, produced a quick finish to pinch silver in 1:56.61, with China’s Wang Shun coming through for a surprise bronze in 1:57.05.
Phelps joined discus thrower Al Oerter and Carl Lewis in the long jump as the only Olympians to win the same individual event at 4 straight Games.
Phelps could pick a fifth gold medal in Rio in Friday night’s 100 butterfly final.
The victory landed Phelps his 26th career Olympic medal, and his 22nd gold – both Olympic records. At 36, five years older than Phelps, he won his last three golds in 152 B.C., in races of about 200 and 400 meters and in a shield-carrying race.
Phelps told NBC that he’d had “probably about five hours” of sleep the night before the qualifying round, admitting that he was “a little exhausted, but as long as I’m not sore, it’s good”.
Phelps was timed in 1 minute, 54.66 seconds.
The record: the most all-time individual Olympic titles – a mark previously held by Leonidas of Rhodes. It was a far cry from the London Games, where “Missy The Missile” became only the second American woman to take four gold medals in a single Olympics.
In the men’s 50 freestyle, Cal alums Anthony Ervin and Nathan Adrian qualified for the finals with the No. 2 and No. 4 times.
“I wish I put on a little bit more of a show for everyone”, Lochte said, still winded moments after the 200m Individual Medley in Rio.
Phelps may have tied Leonidas’ record on Tuesday, but even then he had more gold medals. Phelps won each time and Lochte finished second, third and second.
Earlier, the USA’s Ryan Murphy grabbed his second gold medal in Rio by winning the men’s 200m backstroke final. Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden took the bronze.
Glory for Japan Rie Kaneto pulled away from Yulia Efimova to take gold in the women’s 200m breaststroke in Thursday’s first final.
“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”.
Murphy beat Australia’s Mitch Larkin (silver) and Russia’s Evgeny Rylov (bronze).
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“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”.
