Michael Phelps reflected on a fairytale conclusion to a dream career after claiming his 23rd Olympic gold in Rio in his final race. I wish I could use the water as an excuse sometimes but I can’t. It was the best closure to last night that I could possibly imagine. Being able to look back at my career and say we’ve been able to accomplish everything we wanted.
Advertisement
“When I chose to come back I wanted to do it the right way”, he said. Japan finished fifth in 3:31.97.
Rio Games double backstroke champion Murphy got the USA off to the flawless start when he set a new 100-meter backstroke world record of 51.85 seconds in the first leg. “I said it before but this is the last time you’ll see me in the water racing”.
Michael Phelps closed out the Rio Olympics in the only way imaginable.
Paltrinieri threatened the world record set by China’s Sun Yang in winning Olympic gold in 2012.
America grabbed the most gold during the St. Louis games in 1904, when it stacked up 79 medals.
His other golds were in the 4×100m and 4×200m freestyle relays, the 200m butterfly and in the 200m individual medley, where he became the third American Olympian after the track and field athletes Al Oerter and Carl Lewis to win the same event in four Olympics.
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. “And it turned out pretty cool”.
“I honestly don’t know”, he said.
“I wanted that gold medal to retire with. Golf just gets in my way”, – American Bubba Watson on the Rio Games.
What, you actually thought Michael Phelps would conceivably end his career in second place? “In London we didn’t have this chance”. Puig is ranked 34th and is the first unseeded women’s singles gold medalist since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988.
Since he first took the Olympic plunge at the 2000 Sydney Games he has had an ambition to take swimming into the mainstream and there is no doubt the sport has enjoyed a much higher profile during his tenure as its leading figure. “He’s too special”, Bowman said when asked if he was now hunting for someone to take Phelps’ mantle. “It makes us feel like we’re part of that legacy”. The final two individual golds of the games went to Pernille Blume of Denmark in the 50 freestyle, her country’s first swimming victory since 1948, and Italy’s Gregorio Paltrinieri in the gruelling 1,500 free. The only countries with more gold medals are: the United States (24), China (13), and Great Britain (10).
Connor Jaeger of the United States took the silver in 14:39.48, while the bronze went to another Italian, Gabriele Detti, in 14:40.86.
“Getting off the bus walking into the pool tonight I nearly felt myself starting to cry”, said Phelps.
Advertisement
“Really just walking into the pool tonight I think everything just really started coming out. I couldn’t be happier with how things ended”.
