When Russian swimmer Yulia Efimova was controversially allowed to compete in the Olympic Games even after testing positive for doping, there was no room for sportsmanship. Phelps was third after 50 meters, but he and Lochte took control on the backstroke leg before Phelps pushed ahead on the breaststroke. Phelps won gold each time. Fans love him all over again after his 2014 stint in rehab and his tender cuddle Tuesday with three-month-old son Boomer after winning the 200 butterfly.
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Who knew there were records Phelps had yet to tie or break?
On another, he was arrested after leaving a casino and racing home at 85mph in a 45mph zone in his Range Rover – nearly two times over the legal limit.
Where does that leave Lochte? With one egg left in his basket, another 200 IM showdown against Phelps.
Trailing in his wake Japan’s Kosuke Hagino and China’s Wang Shun followed him to take silver and bronze. The distraction led Phelps to give a hilarious mean mug, which quickly went viral with the hashtag #PhelpsFace.
He bested Phelps in the 400m IM in the 2012 Olympics, and while he has mostly remained in Phelps’s shadow during the games, outside of them-and particularly during Phelps’s brief retirement-Lochte has been the world leader of late. Rivals. They’ve been talking about the joy that it’s been to race each other for the past 12 years so often that their comments are entirely predictable. Of his six gold, three silver and three bronze medals, 5 have been won in relays alongside Phelps.
After realizing his mistake, the broadcaster said, “I apologize, I got my lanes mixed up”.
They are also roommates. “Being able to finish how I won is just something very special to me and this is why you are seeing more and more emotion on the medal podium”. “It’s just really relaxed”. “Schooling swam a hell of a race”, Phelps told reporters after the event, according to Texas Men’s Swimming and Diving. The Americans are the top two all-time performers in the event.
“I think Ryan and I have probably grown closer as friends this year than in the past, so we’ll have one more time to hop in the pool and duke it out”, Phelps said. “We take each other to that next step”.
What makes the achievement even more remarkable is that the former party animal was in rehab for substance abuse only past year, had been banned from swimming and came out of retirement to compete in Rio.
As usual, Phelps pulled off the grueling double, advancing to Friday night’s final with the fifth-fastest time.
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Katie Ledecky will also be back in action as she swims in the 800m freestyle, an event where she is the reigning Olympic champion and world record holder. But for arguments’ sake, if that 1-4 record vs. Phelps in finals disappeared, Lochte might have 12 Olympic medals, 10 of them gold. “I only get to put a racing suit on two more times after tonight”.
