It was a battle for the ages as Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte met for the last time in their careers at the Olympics, in the event that both men have dominated since 2003, the 200 IM. Either Phelps or Lochte has won Olympic gold or the World Championship (long course) since 03.
They were co-favorites entering the race and had two strong competitors in Kosuke Hagino of Japan, the winner of the 400 IM earlier in these Games plus the owner of the fastest 200 IM time of the year. Also, Thiago Pereira of Brazil, the home favorite, also had a shot to shock the Americans.
Phelps would go on to win the gold medal, his fourth consecutive gold in this discipline and 22nd gold medal overall, with a nearly two-second win over silver medalist Hagino. Lochte finished off the podium in fifth.
The Field
The main four medal contenders were in the center of the pool. Phelps and Lochte were the two top qualifiers in Lanes 4 and 5 while Pereira and Hagino were in Lanes 3 and 6. Britain’s Dan Wallace needed a brilliant swim for a shot at the podium, over six-tenths of a second behind Hagino and over eight-tenths behind Pereira.
Dominant Phelps Swims Away With Race
The first 50 was the butterfly, Phelps’ best stroke. Pereira was out fast and was ahead of World Record pace by .15 seconds with Phelps and Lochte in second and third. The backstroke was the important stroke for the Americans to keep pace. It was Lochte first at the wall, ahead of World Record pace by .04 seconds with Phelps and Pereira dead even with him, just one-hundredth of a second behind.
The second to last 50 was Phelps’ “worst stroke”, the breaststroke. Well if that was his worst stroke, he sure showed no signs of it, swimming what could have been his best breaststroke leg in his career. His lead on Pereira was nearly four-tenths of a second on Pereira with Lochte over a second behind.
After a brilliant breaststroke leg, it looked all but finished with the freestyle leg, Phelps cruised to the gold medal with Hagino nearly two seconds back. Shun Wang of China snuck in for the bronze with a fantastic final leg after turning for home second to last.