Both men have towered over the competition since 2004, but tonight they’ll both be challenged for gold by a relatively new foe.
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Phelps, competing Thursday evening in the 200-meter individual medley, is looking for his 22nd Olympic gold medal.
“To lose in a 54.0 (1.54.06) is disgraceful from my side”.
Phelps joined discus thrower Al Oerter and Carl Lewis in the long jump as the only Olympians to win the same individual event at four straight Games. He has always been the most decorated Olympian. The back-to-back world sevens series champions beat Japan 20-5 and Britain rallied to beat No. 2-ranked South Africa 7-5.
Except CBC’s Elliotte Friedman confused the two swimmers in the pool – and was really describing Phelps’ incredible win as he clenched his 22nd gold medal.
And while Phelps is undefeated in the Olympic 200 IM, he is not undefeated in the 200 IM altogether. They were the one-two punch again during the 2016 Olympic Trials in Omaha, Nebraska.
Michael Phelps of the United States celebrates winning the Men’s 200m Individual Medley Final on Day 6 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on August 11, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
“Ryan Lochte is going for it … and Phelps doesn’t look like he has this one in him”, Friedman said. Lochte didn’t even reach the podium this time, fading to fifth after leading at the midway point.
Phelps is the heavy favorite, as he should be.
Phelps owns 22 Olympic gold medals in his career. She also finished second to American Lilly King in the 100-meter breaststroke.
Phelps and Lochte have won four consecutive gold medals in the 4x200m freestyle relay. And there probably will be no more for Lochte. He failed to qualify for the 400-meter IM to defend his London 2012 gold medal.
In 2000, in the Sydney Games, Phelps at 15 was the youngest male Olympian the United States had presented in almost 70 years. However, the CBC announcers clearly thought Lochte was in lane 4 and Phelps was in 5 because they called Lochte as the victor of the race even though he faded down the stretch and finished in fifth, failing to medal.
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“But you know, win or lose, at the end we’re still good friends and we don’t let swimming decide that”.
