Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte set up one final showdown to cap their glittering Olympic careers by qualifying first and second on Wednesday for the final of the 200 metres individual medley.
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Despite the fact that Lochte has owned the 200-meter individual medley record for the last several years.
His medal haul has now risen to 26, including two silvers and two bronzes, with the 100 butterfly final still to come on Friday. “Having that come to an end, it’s weird, it’s insane to think about”, Phelps said.
There seems little doubt he’ll go six-for-six. Phelps, who as of this writing has 21 gold medals, is the most decorated athlete in the modern Olympics.
Now 32 years old and knowing the end of his Olympic career is coming sooner rather than later, Lochte did take a different approach to this year’s Games.
US swimmer Michael Phelps captured his 22nd Olympic gold medal on Thursday.
China’s Wang Shun took the bronze in a time of 1:57.61.
In turn, Lochte attributed his evolution as a swimmer, to the opportunities that he has had of competing against Phelps.
The Barcelona Games were the last time the United States lost a men’s final in those events. But, at 31, he started to wobble in the last few metres and had to hold off a fierce late challenge from Japan’s Masato Sakai to get his hands on the wall first in a time of one minute 53.36 seconds.
“I’ve been able to kind of finish how I wanted to”, Phelps said.
Rio de Janeiro, Aug 12: It was a night of high drama at Rio’s Olympic Aquatics Stadium on Thursday with a new Michael Phelps record, a dead heat and Canada’s first gold medal of these Games. Phelps normally comes out just ahead of him.
“I guess I just didn’t have it tonight”, he said.
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United States star Ledecky clocked eight minutes 12.86 seconds in winning her race by almost seven seconds with Britain’s Jazz Carlin setting the third fastest qualifying time and putting herself in with a chance of a second medal.
