"I couldn't have scripted it better" - When Michael Phelps opened up on redeeming his 200m butterfly gold medal in his last Olympic appearance

Michael Phelps once opened up about his redemption in the 200m butterfly event at the 2016 Olympics. He competed in his final Olympics at the 2016 Rio Games while aiming for his third gold medal in his marquee event.

Although Phelps was a favorite to win the gold medal, he had to push his limits to the very edge after competing against a star-studded lineup, including Japan's Masato Sakai and South Africa's Chad le Clos. The race began with Le Clos executing the fastest start of the lineup. However, Phelps powered through the challenge and defeated the rivals to top the event.

Phelps completed the race over Sakai with a needle-thin gap of 0.04 seconds after clocking 1:53.36. In an interview after the Rio Games, Phelps opened up on his joy of clinching his fourth Olympic medal of the event.

"Just to see my name beside the 200m fly again... I couldn't have scripted it better. The event was my bread and butter. Having that come to an end is weird. It's crazy to think about," Phelps said.

"This is a race that I really wanted. I really wanted that one back. Tonight I came in the pool with a mission and the mission was accomplished. There wasn't a chance in hell I would lose that tonight and if I did every ounce of energy would have been left in the pool," he added.

Along with becoming the oldest male swimmer to clinch an individual Olympic gold medal in the event, he also became the first swimmer to dominate the same individual event at four consecutive Olympics.

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Michael Phelps earned four medals in the 200m butterfly event at the Olympics

Michael Phelps of the United States at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. (Photo by Getty Images)

Throughout his illustrious Olympic career, Michael Phelps has clinched four medals in the 200m butterfly event. The legendary swimmer won his first medal in the event at the 2004 Athens Games by posting a stunning time of 1:54.04 to set an Olympic record. Four summers later at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he established himself as a fiercest competitor of the event after winning his consecutive gold medal.

Michael Phelps clocked a world record of 1:52.03 at the Beijing Games which was later surpassed by Hungary's Kristof Milak at the 2022 FINA World Championships in Budapest with 1:50.34. At the 2012 London Games, he fell short of winning the top place after being surpassed by Chad le Clos to settle in second place. Phelps redeemed himself at the 2016 Rio Games.