Phelps won his 23rd gold medal for his part in the Americans’ victory in the 4×100 medley relay, his 28th medal overall in 30 Olympic events. Swimming is richer because of him, and will be poorer without him.
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Elsewhere in the pool Saturday, Pernille Blume of Denmark took gold in the women’s 50m freestyle, edging out 100m freestyle victor Manuel – who finished second.
But the current legacy is illustrated in a decade-old photograph of a delighted nine-year-old Katie Ledecky with Phelps – the American teenager is proving to be the dominant female swimmer of these Rio 2016 Olympic Games.
“This is how I wanted to finish my career, the way I wanted to”, he said.
“I’ve lived a dream come true, something that I wanted for so long”.
It is no idle boast. He initially retired after the 2012 London Olympics, only to decide about a year later to return. “I think it showed in his swimming, it showed in his demeanor, and it certainly showed in his leadership on the team”.
James Guy is one of the new breed of swimmers in the pool.
Bolt won his first heat in 10.07 seconds Saturday and is still a favorite, despite a sore hamstring that forced him from the world championships last month.
“I was like, ‘Dude, this is insane, ‘” Schooling told Phelps. “I’ll remember that for the rest of my life”. “It’s incredible. Really. I have been dreaming of this moment since I was a child and it’s fantastic”, the 21-year-old said.
Like Phelps, Mark Foster is a five-time Olympian and now a commentator for United Kingdom broadcaster the BBC at these Games. Phelps finished in a three-way tie for silver with longtime rivals Chad le Clos of South Africa and Lazslo Cseh of Hungary.
“He’s not as unbeatable as he was”, Foster told CNN.
His success in the pool-far from assured when the Games began, begs the question, “how do you not come back?” Swimming is a drug and he’s addicted. “He looked at me, he smiled and it’s just, ‘I know'”. “It might be once in 10 generations that someone like Michael Phelps comes along”.
It’s impossible not to watch Usain Bolt when he’s on the track. “But here they realize it’s finally the end of something special”.
Then he and his teammates grabbed a sign that said, “Thank You Rio”.
If that was the end, and Phelps insists it is, what a way to go out.
“I’m not going four more years, and I’m standing by that”, the 31-year-old said. “I’ve been able to do everything I’ve ever put my mind to in the sport and after 24 years in the sport, I’m happy with how things finished”.
The happiness has not always been there. And he’s also been well known for non-swimming events, such as the recent arrival of his son Boomer, as much a feature for the camera lenses at the Olympic pool as his famous father.
While he does not have to put himself through the daily grind of training, it seems nearly certain that Phelps’ next career involves continuing to try to boost the sport’s profile.
Schooling left the country at 14 to train in the US and now studies at the University of Texas in Austin, whose programme is led by two-time US Olympic men’s head coach Eddie Reese. You might not have seen that before. “That’s Phelps – singlehandedly he’s elevated the profile of the sport”.
Phelps won six gold medals in Athens in 2004, eight in Beijing in 2008, four in London in 2012, and five in Rio.
“Just walking into the pool tonight, everything started coming out”, he said. “To do something that nobody else has ever done”. The 200m butterfly put him on the map in the first place and he wanted it back. He thinks like he’s trying to win his first medal. “Michael Jordan had it. that killer instinct”.
The US’ two victories on Saturday gave them 16 out of a possible 32 swimming gold medals here.
While other kids rushed at Phelps wanting photos, Schooling was frozen. Venus Williams can become the first tennis player with five Olympic golds if she and Rajeev Ram win the mixed doubles.
Phelps said he was looking forward to retirement.
“He mentions it all the time that he wants to go out on his own terms-on good terms, not ‘Let’s get out of here, ‘” Bowman said. “That’s changed”, he added.
“I was just super excited to be on that relay and I´m sure that little extra bit of adrenaline is what pushed me to that record”, said Murphy, who broke the record of 51.94 set by American Aaron Peirsol in 2009. An estimated 24 million people watched Friday night’s telecast, and NBC said an additional two million watched NBCSN or streamed the Olympics in prime time.
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The Phelps era is now over. Swimming will miss him but those he has inspired will continue on.
