With a country transfixed, in front of millions watching on TV – and a packed swimming stage in Rio – Singapore’s Schooling stunned the world with a blistering race in the men’s 100m butterfly, claiming gold in a new Olympic record time of 50.39, ending Michael Phelps’ hopes of a record-equaling fourth consecutive triumph in one event.
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Phelps, sixth at the turn, couldn’t pull off one of his trademark comebacks, but he had plenty of company on the second step of the podium as his longtime rival Laszlo Cseh of Hungary and South African Chad le Clos both matched his time of 51.14sec in an astonishing three-way tie for silver.
While finding an athlete who could challenge the domineering record held by the “Flying Fish” may seem impossible, the USA star who claimed the 22nd Olympic gold of his Olympic career on Thursday, August 11, was denied his 23rd gold medal in the 100m butterfly by a 21-year-old Singaporean who became the country’s first Olympic champion.
Michael Phelps suffered a shock defeat in the pool as Singapore’s Joseph Schooling beat the American in the 100m butterfly. “I’m just proud to be part of that history”.
So it was odd to see him, after what he insists was his final individual race as an Olympian, crowding onto a medal stand with two other swimmers. “Being able to close the door on this sport the way I wanted to, that’s why I’m happy now”.
It was his 27th Olympic medal, 22 of them gold, four of those golds here at the Rio Games that were supposed to be a swan song and ended up another coronation.
Fellow US swimmer Maya DiRado denied Hungarian Katinka Hosszu’s bid to become a four-time gold medalist.
Who knew during the chance encounter in 2008 that Schooling would one day grow up to beat the most decorated Olympian in history? Meyer took the 200, 400 and 800 at Mexico City in 1968.
“This moment is not about me, it’s all about my coaches my friends my family that believed that when I was a six year old kid that I could do it”, he said.
Then, Ledecky played the waiting game, hanging on the rope for a while to let the rest of the field finish. The bronze medal went to the Russian contender Aliya Mustafina. For American athletes, this works under the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Operation Gold program. Meanwhile, the American men are looking to end a whopping 84-year medal drought in team foil fencing. She certainly has nothing to complain about after winning two golds, a silver and a bronze in Rio.
“I will be in Tokyo”, he said.
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Andy Murray, the singles tennis champion in London four years ago, moved into the Rio Games final by easily beating Kei Nishikori of Japan 6-1, 6-4 on Saturday.
