If Michael Phelps’ first gold of the Rio Games will be knowns as “The Turn”, his last should be dubbed, “The Peek”.
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Now the answer is as plain as #PhelpsFace. The U.S. men have had two straight close games, topping Australia 98-88 and squeaking by Serbia 94-91. She took silver in the women’s 50 freestyle and then anchored as the US women won the 4×100 medley. Simone Manuel of the USA earned another Olympic medal in the pool, this one a silver in the women’s 50-meter freestyle. Puig is ranked 34th and is the first unseeded women’s singles gold medalist since tennis returned to the Olympics in 1988. The U.S. women’s fencing team won the bronze, and MA native Genevra Stone captured a silver medal in the women’s single sculls. I’m glad my son also showed respect.
Even when he is tripped and falls, he wins an Olympic gold medal.
And 24 years in the sport. “It was really hard to go out and give your best, but I really wanted to win”. The phenomenal Phelps has taken the art of winning to a level beyond the average human imagination.
“Just walking to the pool tonight, I think everything started coming out and my emotions really started surfacing”, said Phelps, who retires with an all-time best total of 28 Olympic medals.
“Last time was his last and this time was his last”, she said, holding up two fingers to form air quotes.
So, too, Friday’s bang-bang can-you-believe that, and that, and that?
The victor of six gold medals at Athens 2004, eight at Beijing 2008 and four at London 2012 was unable to select any particular highlight.
Simone Manuel followed up her meaningful victory in the women’s 100m free with a 50m free silver, then anchored the US women’s medley to victory in 3:53.13; Connor Jaeger took silver in the men’s 1500m free; and the USA men, with Phelps pulling the third split in the fly and Nathan Adrian anchoring, winning gold in the medley relay, in an Olympic-record 3:27.95. The latter medal clinched the United States’ 1,000th Summer Olympics gold medal.
“There is a big screen back home in my community in Jamaica”. The crowd went insane for its hometown guy.
British cyclists also smashed their own world record in winning the gold.
Schooling recalled interrupting a Chinese lesson to bolt over and pose for a photo with Phelps.
“Joseph, I love you!” a fan screamed as he emerged into the arrivals hall wearing his gold medal and a red jacket.
Adam Peaty’s split time for his 100m breaststroke leg was a staggering 56.59, well under the mythical 57-second barrier and nearly half a second quicker than his world record time set earlier this week en route to individual gold.
If the focus is only the Olympics.
“I wouldn’t change anything”, he said. He hopes for Singaporeans to be more questioning so they can live in a more progressive and compassionate society.
Olympic gold medallist swimmer Joseph Schooling’s National Service deferment will be extended to after the 2020 Tokyo Games, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen confirmed.
Michael Phelps closed the Rio Olympics in the only way imaginable: golden.
Phelps dived into the pool in second place. “He’s an incredible person & team mate”. “You add up the next four and they barely have more than we do”. Klishina is the only athlete who met the standards when track’s governing body, the IAAF, banned the Russian team from the 2016 Summer Olympics in June after an investigation revealed a culture of widespread, state-sponsored doping within the program.
There’s something to be said for the camaraderie displayed by the American team.
Consider last year’s world championships, in Kazan, Russia.
He wasn’t the rambunctious kid he was when he made his Olympic breakthrough in 2004, nor was he the cocky star at the dominant peak of his sport that he was in 2008.
That was down four from the 2013 Worlds in Barcelona. “And being able to cap it off is just the flawless way to finish”.
So there’s the argument that, clearly, the Worlds matter.
But a comeback launched in 2014 ground to a halt within months when Phelps’ personal demons caught up with him in a Maryland tunnel.
This is another clue. Over the past week, he got to compete against them and in most cases – Joseph Schooling being the exception – he’s gotten to beat them one last time before he walks away.
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Only four other athletes – three in swimming and one in sailing – have received such deferments.
