Phelps now No. 1 gold medalist in history

In what was billed as the final showdown between two of America’s greatest swimmers, Phelps blew away Lochte _ and everyone else _ to win his fourth gold medal of the Rio Olympics and 22nd overall with a victory in the 200-meter individual medley Thursday night.

Phelps won gold again Thursday night, and he did it in blowout fashion, taking the top spot by almost two seconds, while Lochte finished fifth.

That was nearly two seconds in front of silver medallist Kosuke Hagino of Japan, the 400m individual medley champion who powered from fifth at the final wall to touch in 1:56.61.

Phelps, 31, is now four-for-four in his fifth Olympics.

Let’s not forget Lochte in this, considering it was the final race of an outstanding Olympic run.

“We bring out the best in each other”, Lochte said.

“I don’t know if I’m in better shape than I was in 2008”, Phelps said of his fitness now compared to the year he won eight gold medals in eight events in Beijing.

Phelps was sixth-fastest, but he had just won gold in the 200m individual medley before swimming his semi-final.

Lochte, a six-time Olympic champion, could only finish fifth, while Pereira faded badly and he trailed home seventh.

“I try not to even think about it because then I just get focused on that”, he added. In the waiting room before the semifinal of the 200-meter butterfly, South African rival/NBC villain Chad le Clos was seen shadowboxing in front of a very focused Phelps, who looked like he found out that le Clos kicked his dog.

While Phelps’ dominance is expected, a new American star emerged Thursday when Simone Manuel tied for first place in the 100 freestyle.

The last two swimmers to win joint gold were U.S. pair Gary Hall and Antony Ervin, who shared the men’s 50-meter freestyle title back in 2000.

Ledecky is enjoying a fantastic second Olympic Games, having already won three gold medals and set a world record in the 400m freestyle. “It’s exactly how I want to exit the sport”. But it’s just as sweet standing on the podium hearing your national anthem play. “The 200 back is an event I really have to dig deep for, so this one means a little bit more to me”.

American Anthony Ervin got off to a solid start to his bid to become the oldest swimming champion in Olympic history at 35-years-old, going third fastest in 21.63, two hundredths behind countryman Nathan Adrian.

Efimova finished 1.67 seconds behind.

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – AUGUST 11: Lawrence Brittain of South Africa and Shaun Keeling of South Africa celebrate winning the silver medal in the Men’s Pair Final A on Day 6 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Lagoa Stadium on August 11, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. “It is what it is”, Lochte said.