"There wasn’t a shot in hell I was losing that" - When Michael Phelps opened up on his hard-fought 200m butterfly win at Rio Olympics

Michael Phelps once reflected on his hard-earned 200m butterfly win at the 2016 Olympics. He competed in his last Olympic Games in 2016, where he secured six medals, including five gold and one silver.

In the same Olympics, Phelps secured his fourth Olympic (and his third Olympic gold) medal in the 200m butterfly event. He had previously won the gold medal in the event at the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympics, and had to settle for a silver medal at the 2012 London Games. Four years later, he redeemed his top place on the podium by clocking 1:53.36 seconds.

Although Chad le Clos executed the fastest start, Phelps quickly took the lead and maintained it till the end of the race. The swimming legend narrowly won the race by 0.04 seconds ahead of Masato Sakai. In an interview with the Guardian, following his last Olympic appearance, Phelps reflected on the race, stating he was confident and determined to win his signature event.

“There wasn’t a shot in hell I was losing that,” Phelps said. “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.

“On the podium, I was going through the last 16 years,” he added. “That event was my bread and butter and this was the last time I will ever swim it. Having that come to an end is crazy to think about.”

"I'm not going four more years" - When Michael Phelps reflected on his decision to retire after missing the gold medal in his last individual race

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

Michael Phelps once reflected on his decision to retire after the 2016 Olympics, where he competed in his last individual race, the men's 100m butterfly. He settled in second place with 51.14 seconds after following then-21-year-old Singapore swimmer Joseph Schooling, who dominated with an Olympic record of 50.39 seconds.

Following the race, the American swimmer announced his retirement and chimed in, via NBC News, in 2016:

"I'm not going four more years and I'm standing by that," he said. "I've been able to do everything I've ever put my mind to in the sport and after 24 years in the sport, I'm happy with how things finished."

Michael Phelps won 28 medals throughout his Olympic career.