Michael Phelps (left) and Ryan Lochte (right) after the 200m medley final.
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But Wednesday, it was all about individual credentials at stake.
Victory in Friday’s fly would have given Phelps a 14th individual Olympic title, but Schooling proved too strong.
Phelps finished the final in 1 minute 54.66 seconds, nearly two seconds ahead of Japan’s Kosuke Hagino at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium.
Lochte, fresh off winning a gold medal with the 4x200m freestyle relay on Tuesday night, said he got about four hours of sleep. He’s the toughest competitor and racer I’ve ever had to go up against.
Phelps has won the gold in the 200m IM in every Olympics since 2004, often with Lochte finishing just behind him.
“We’ll hang out because swimming doesn’t dictate our friendship”, Lochte said. Lewis closed out with a Super Bowl victory.
Not only that, but this could mark the last time he’ll have the chance to best Phelps in the pool – something he’s failed at many more times than he’s succeed over their 13-year rivalry.
This time, she was limited to a single gold, which came for swimming the preliminaries of the 4×200 freestyle relay. 2012 Olympic champ Ranomi Kromowidjojo also made the final, in fourth place.
Great Britain’s Dan Wallace, who performed over and above to even make the final, finished eighth. “But it doesn’t matter how many events, I just got to get up on those blocks”.
With Ledecky and Smith assured on being on the team for the final, that left two available spots. Between them, they own the 15 fastest times in the history of the event. Cierra Runge was the slowest of the group, 1:57.75. I think for me, he brings the best out of me. “If that’s not including me, then that’s what I want”.
Journalists quickly jumped to his defence, though, calling him as good “as any in the business”. Lochte was second to Phelps in London, and took bronze behind Phelps in Beijing. He set his first world record in the same event a year later.
In the women’s 200 breaststroke, Rie Kaneto of Japan pulled away from Yulia Efimova to take gold.
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King, who beat Efimova for the gold in the shorter race after calling out the Russian’s doping history, is not almost as dominant in the longer race.
