Michael Phelps can truly retire without any regrets, as he took home gold, the 20th of his Olympic career, in his signature event – the 200-meter butterfly – on Tuesday night.
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The most decorated Olympian of all time then helped the United States win the men’s 4x200m freestyle relay by a wide margin.
He is also scheduled to swim in the 100m butterfly and the 200m individual medley and will be part of the US team defending the 4×100-meter medley relay gold he helped win in London four years ago.
Phelps won the 200-meter fly by four one-hundreths of a second, hitting the wall in 1:53.36.
Phelps completed the distance in 113.36 seconds while Japan’s Masato Sakai, who won the silver medal – in 113.40 seconds.
Phelps now has 24 Olympic medals with the chance of another later on Tuesday in the 4×200 freestyle relay. “I took it pretty fast and forced everyone and once I was ahead I was not going to let it out of my hands”.
USA swimmer Michael Phelps has claimed the 20th and 21st Olympic gold medals of his career in Rio today.
Milking the acclaim of the crowd, Phelps climbed, Wimbledon tennis-style, past a bank of poolside photographers to kiss little Boomer and fiancee Nicole Johnson after an emotional medals ceremony. He erased the bad memories from his loss in the same race in London to South African Chad le Clos.
“It’s just a great honor to be on a team with him”, Ledecky said.
The 200 may be the shortest race of the bunch but it’s definitely the hardest for Ledecky, requiring her to show both her speed and endurance against a far more competitive field.
Four years ago, Le Clos pulled off one of the greatest Olympic upsets when he beat Phelps, who had the lead but glided too long on his finish.
For Phelps, who quit the sport after London 2012 and then returned two years later, this was the moment he had been waiting for. “I tried to not really pay attention”.
The U.S. won the gold medal with 7 minute 0.66 seconds. Maggie Steffens, Courtney Mathewson and Kiley Neushul scored two goals apiece, and Ashleigh Johnson had 11 saves while becoming the first black woman to play water polo for the U.S.in the Olympics.
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Hosszu added to her wins in the 400 IM and 100 backstroke with a time of 2:06.58. Maya DiRado of the United States held on for the bronze.
