Rio 2016: Michael Phelps wins 20th gold medal

Michael Phelps won his record 20th gold medal in the Men’s 200m Butterfly at Rio 2016

When you get to the Olympics, you have all types of rivalries. There are those rivalries that are between friends, rivalries that exist simply because you’re talking about two of the best athletes or teams in a given event, and then there are the rivalries that exist because the two athletes simply can’t stand one another. The Olympic swimming rivalry between Team USA’s Michael Phelps and South Africa’s Chad Le Clos falls into that latter category, without a shadow of a doubt.

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Subsequently, it was only fitting that Michael Phelps and Chad Le Clos would have the chance to settle their beef in the pool at the 2016 Rio Olympics in the Men’s 200m Butterfly final. Not only was a medal on the line, but also the bragging rights between two guys who simply get under one another’s skin.

In their semifinal heat, Le Clos got the better of the 23-Olympic-medal-winning Phelps to win. The question was what would happen come Tuesday night at Rio 2016.

Phelps was hanging out in the pack after the first 50m of the race, but took the lead after a great first turn. After that, he started to pull away. However, Le Clos and the rest of the field started coming up fast down on the final lap in the sprint to the finish. However, Michael Phelps was able to hold on to his lead and touch the wall first, winning his second gold medal at Rio 2016 and his record 20th gold medal for his career.

For what it’s worth and for the sake of the rivalry, Le Clos didn’t even medal as he fell back in the sprint to the finish.