'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Michael Phelps once opened up on his hard-fought battle over South African rival Chad le Clos during his final Olympic appearance. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Phelps competed in his signature event, the men's 200m butterfly while aiming for his fourth consecutive medal of the event.
Although Phelps was the favorite to win the race, the victory wasn't easy as the American swimmer faced intense competition from Clos. The South African swimmer executed the fastest start of the lineup. However, Phelps showed his resilience and surpassed the competitors to earn the win with a thread-thin gap of 0.04 secs over Masato Sakai.
In an interview with theguardian.com, Phelps reflected on the race, while praising Clos for his strong competitiveness and determination. Phelps won the race after clocking 1:53.36.
Trending
“I don’t want him to win and I’m sure he doesn’t want me to win,” Phelps said. “But he is someone who is a good racer, he is not afraid to put it on the line. The kid has talent and the last 10m, oh my gosh, I thought I was standing still. It’s good for the sport to have a competitor like that.”
“There wasn’t a shot in hell I was losing that,” Phelps added. “I didn’t know I only won by 0.04 until the awards’ ceremony, but just seeing the No1 next to my name just one more time in the 200m fly, I couldn’t have scripted it any better.”
Michael Phelps won four consecutive medals in the 200m butterfly event at the Olympics
Michael Phelps has won four Olympic medals in his pet event, the 200m butterfly event. He won his first medal at the 2004 Athens Games after clocking an impressive time of 1:54.04 to register an Olympic record. Four years later at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he cemented his prospects as a fierce competitor in the event after clocking a world record of 1:52.03.
The world record was then shattered by Hungary's Kristof Milak at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest with 1:50.34. However, at the 2012 London Olympics, Phelps fell short of repeating the feat and settled on a silver medal. He was surpassed by Chad le Clos. The American swimmer then redeemed his victory at the Rio Olympics.
The Rio Olympics win made Michael Phelps the oldest male swimmer to clinch an individual Olympic gold medal, and also the first man to dominate the same individual event for four consecutive Games.
