Phelps was set to retire after the London Olympics, but here he is in Rio still at the top of his game.
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Phelps embraced his baby, Boomer, as he celebrated winning his record-breaking 20th Olympic gold medal. At that same time, Phelps had a death glare on his face – a true contrast of the two swimmers.
But there was no doubt the night belonged to the 31-year-old Phelps and not only because he became the oldest man to win an individual swimming title at the Games. That is just insane.
Michael Phelps and South African swimmer Chad le Clos revived their rivalry on Monday night during the semifinals for the 200m butterfly, complete with an epic stare down.
For Phelps, anything less than a gold medal would be a disappointment. Predictably, Phelps dominated the race and won gold while Le Clos didn’t even medal.
The 31-year-old, who has hit the headlines for troubles in his personal life over the last few years, added another gold medal to his collection later the same night as the USA clinched victory in the 4x200m freestyle.
After anchoring the 4x200m freestyle relay later that night (where he then won his 21st gold), Phelps told an NBC reporter that he was laughing because his “boys from Baltimore” sitting poolside yelled out “OOOOO!” while singing “Oh, say does that star-spangled…” during the national anthem. Now that Phelps has proven he’s the best Olympian ever, is he the best athlete ever?
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He won gold medals at Olympics in 2004, 2008 and 2012, and at the World Championships in 2003, 2005 and 2007.
