Michael Phelps’ final individual Olympic race ended in silver, when he was beaten into second place in the 100-metre butterfly by Joseph Schooling.
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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. Maya DiRado of the United States, who has won gold, silver and bronze at her first Olympics, was third fastest in 2:08.60.
Michael Phelps didn’t win his final individual race, but the men’s 100 butterfly was still a spectacle to remember.
After two years of hard labor in the pool and harder self-reflective work out of it, Phelps said, “I’m enjoying the sport like I did when I was an 18-year-old”.
Schooling pulled off one of the biggest upsets in Rio, interrupting the 31-year-old Phelps’ quest for what would have been his fifth gold in Brazil and 23rd Olympic gold in his career. If he’s this good now, shouldn’t he come back to swim in Tokyo in 2020? “I feel like we have a lot of hungry kids who are pumped for the next four years”.
“I saw second next to my name and then I looked up again and then I looked over at Laszlo and Chad like, huh, we all tied for second, that’s kind of cool” – Phelps is typically philosophical in defeat after signing off his last individual race at the Games.
“I’m just ecstatic. I don’t think it has set in yet”.
And as she contemplated her achievement in Rio, the preternaturally poised teen couldn’t hold back her emotions. He regularly fought with his coach Sergio Lopez, the Spaniard who won a bronze medal in breaststroke at the 1998 Olympics, but credits him for his success. And yeah. I’m ready to spend some time with (baby son) Boomer and (fiancee) Nicole. “I’m happy with how things finished”.
“It hasn’t really sunk in yet”, Schooling said.
“Right now I don’t know how to wrap my head around that”.
Like Schooling, Le Clos asked Phelps to continue. The first time the country won the medal was when Tan Howe Liang won silver in lightweight weightlifting in 1960.
“I’ll say this just in case of a comeback.my potential last Olympics”.
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She also followed fellow swimmers Amy Van Dyken and Missy Franklin as the only American women to win as many as four golds in a single Olympics.
