American Ryan Lochte took gold in the men’s 400 Individual Medley while defending champion Michael Phleps finished fourth.
Lochte swam an excellent race, finishing in 4:05.18, more than 3.5 seconds ahead of the next swimmer. Lochte had been working on his 200 and 400 medleys for the past two years, and it showed in his performance.
Phelps on the other hand didn’t start preparing for the race until the start of this year. After winning in Beijing, Phelps said he would never swim the 400 IM again. He decided earlier this year to add the event only to take a shot at being the first male swimmer to win the same event in three consecutive Olympics.
Phelps was second after the second leg of the race but dropped back in the breast stroke, while Lochte was actually ahead of the world record pace until the final 100 yards of freestyle. He didn’t break the record—set by Phelps—but he dominated the event.
Phelps knew from his preliminary time that he wasn’t on good form; the U.S. swimmer turned in a time of 4:13.33, barely making the finals.
“It was just a crappy race,” Phelps told NBC sports. “I felt fine the first 200, then I don’t know. They just swam a better race than me, a smarter race than me, and were better prepared than me. That’s why they’re on the medal stand.”
Phelps has three more chances to threepeat at the London Olympics.
Phelps is three medals away from being the most successful Olympian in history. Lochte hopes to better the four golds he won at Beijing.
