I got tight. It wasn’t there.
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After the first, butterfly length, Phelps was second only to Brazilian Pereira. “I think I had a pound of spaghetti, and I am not a spaghetti fan”. I felt great before the race… “If anything, that race, it helped motivate me”, the 32-year-old Lochte told reporters after he finished fifth behind compatriot Michael Phelps in the 200 metres individual medley final.
Lurking in second until the end of the breaststroke third leg of the medley he surged home on the closing freestyle lap to win in 1min 54.66sec.
First he tied an ancient sports record at the Rio Olympics.
Lochte had hoped to swim five or six events in Rio but a groin injury at trials limited him to qualification in only the 200 IM.
Phelps joined discus thrower Al Oerter and Carl Lewis in the long jump as the only Olympians to win the same individual event at four straight Games.
Joseph Schooling meets his idol Michael Phelps in 2008. “Throwing me out there for another four years.’ If he wants to come back for another four years, it will be fun to watch”. Leonidas of Rhodes, who won his Olympic golds in 200- and 400-meter dashes and a shield-carrying race in the 152, 156, 160 and 164 BC Games.
For Phelps, it was the decorated swimmer’s 22nd gold medal, while Lochte failed to medal in the event. He now finishes his career with 27 overall Olympic medals, with 22 of them gold. And he expects Phelps to be there too. “I just know I need physically and mentally to take a break”. “I’m happy for him”, Lochte said. “I’m proud of him”.
Both of those countries have 23 swimming golds each in Olympic history.
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Team USA star Murphy, who won the 100-meter backstroke in Olympic record time, edged out Australia’s Mitch Larkin and Russia’s Evgeny Rylov.
