He bent down over the deck in exhaustion.
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“I walked to the pool tonight and I nearly felt myself starting to cry – the last warm-up, the last time putting on a suit, the last time walking out in front of thousands of people representing my country”, Phelps, 31, said of his final swim in his fifth Olympics.
For one moment, it felt as if the entire sporting world was putting aside its differences to say farewell to the greatest.
Paltrinieri, the 1500m gold medallist at last year’s world championships in Russian Federation, led from the outset and swam under world record pace for much of the race before easing off in the final laps.
He leaves the stage after five Olympic Games as by far the most decorated Olympian of all-time with 23 gold medals and 28 overall.
With one gold and five silvers, it was British swimming’s most successful Games since 1908. The five-time gold-medal victor in Rio pointed at his suddenly awake son, who was swaddled in red, white and blue, and his fiancee, who was a puddle of tears.
Schooling will also receive S$1 million for his gold medal under the Multi-Million Dollar Award Programme (MAP) created by the Singapore National Olympic Council (SNOC). He just wanted to be the best Michael Phelps possible.
He is Peyton Manning, but only if Manning had been the MVP of that last Super Bowl.
Murphy, like many of Phelps’s teammates, was asked if thought the superstar would really stay retired this time.
As Adrian touched the wall to finish off the victory, Phelps gathered the other relay swimmers including Cody Miller and Cal’s Ryan Murphy, in his arms.
“I’m not going four more years, and I’m standing by that”, the 31-year-old said. He has not only dominated in water, but thrilled on dry land, his lanky, muscular, perpetually-messy-black-hair aura floating everywhere. There was even a true opening ceremony. He held up both outstretched hands challengingly. The U.S. has won 33 swimming medals at Rio 2016, its most since winning 33 at the Sydney Games in 2000.
“He always coveted wanting to be a captain”, said 50 freestyle champion Anthony Ervin, who explained why it wasn’t possible before this year.
“You just have no idea how hard it is for anybody to win an Olympic gold medal”, said Phelps’s long-time coach, Bob Bowman.
“It was about becoming the first Michael Phelps, not the second Mark Spitz”.
After a week here, it seems like he’s only getting better, and how is that possible? He waved at everyone at the pool and mouthed “Thank you!” over and over after winning his final gold in a relay Saturday night, but that gave me a strong feeling of deja vu as well.
The men’s medley relay followed with its own moment of glory, maintaining an all-time flawless Olympic record in the event when the U.S. has participated. “I was actually enjoying myself, and we were telling jokes with one another”.
– The New York Times is reporting that the former Soviet Union had a state-sponsored doping program ahead of the 1984 Olympics before it boycotted the Los Angeles Games.
For him, Phelps’ legacy is shown by the increase in the sport’s US profile.
Bowman said he does not see Phelps changing his mind and returning to competition.
“I’m exhausted about hearing how the Americans are doing here”, said Clary, according to the Washington Post.
For all that, though, I don’t really think Phelps is done, and I won’t truly believe it until he skips the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2020. “Not to be afraid to know that the sky is the limit”. But it also sparked a turnaround in his life.
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The fans supporting Puig were so enthusiastic that the chair umpire requested silence several times, then simply shushed the audience. “I didn’t want to have a “what if” 20 years later”. The former European indoor champion was the only one of 68 Russians allowed to compete in track amid a doping scandal.
