The American was really feeling the pain after her shortest individual event and second gold of the 2016 Games.
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And what could be better than riding Ledecky’s wave?
“I wanted to hold him longer”, Phelps said.
Ledecky began her stellar global swimming career with distance events, showing a mastery not seen in decades. “It’s always very tough mentally”.
Fifth at the first flip turn, a bit faster than she usually goes out, Ledecky powered to the front on the third lap and fended off Sjostrom coming to the wall.
First there was the look on Phelps’s face as he heard himself announced at the medals podium – a look that became more emotional as the crowd’s cheers for him died away and the sound of the US national anthem filled the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio.
“I think if you ask any medalist, at least on Team USA, everybody who wins a medal at night, they come to the pool the next morning, the first question is ‘How much sleep did you get?'” Ledecky said. “So I am sure everyone else will be thinking about that the last 50m”.
She slept in Tuesday morning and said, “I felt fresh and ready to go”. Where does she get her urge to win at all costs? I just did a time he hasn’t done in four years.
But Ledecky generates her own good karma.
The Royal Netherlands Gymnastics Association says Van Gelder, a former world champion on the rings, left the athletes’ village on Saturday night and has admitted drinking alcohol before returning early Sunday.
“It’s been such a dream this week”, she said. And as she demonstrated in her silver-medal relay swims on the first day of competition here, the 100 meters might be her next horizon to conquer.
So far these Games, Ledecky is 2-for-2 in individual events.
With 25-time (and counting) medalist Michael Phelps swimming his final Olympic laps in Rio, Ms. Ledecky’s performance is an exciting reminder to Americans that the show will go on for the USA swim team – and it promises to be a good show. However, she missed her world record of 2:06.12. Siobhan-Marie O’Connor of Britain challenged Hosszu all the way but had to settle for silver.
USA Network hosts live coverage of equestrian team jumping at 9 a.m., while CNBC airs live coverage of men’s rugby as the US faces Brazil at 5 p.m.
It was Drysdale who was the fastest as the two men raced in the same quarterfinal heat on the Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon, beating the Czech by four seconds to finish in 6 minutes, 46.51 seconds. Her blurb was written by swimming legend Janet Evans. The victory was the 43rd consecutive for the five-time defending champions, who trailed 8-6 before closing the first quarter on a 23-6 run.
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“You can never go in knowing that you’re going to make the team, just because the U.S. is one of the hardest countries to make the Olympic team because they’re so strong in every event”, Mr. Lochte told the AP.
