“You come at the king, you best not miss.”
South Africa’s Chad le Clos attempted some of the same pre-race antics that grabbed headlines ahead of his semifinal heat shared with American Michael Phelps in the 200 butterfly, attempting to stare down the Olympic champion and get into his head. As was the case in the semifinal heat the antics didn’t have their desired effect, as Phelps won the 20th Olympic gold medal of his storied career.
Phelps finished the race in 1:53.36, with Japan’s Masato Sakai finishing in 1:53.40 to take silver. Taking the bronze medal was Hungary’s Tamas Kenderesi, who finished the race in 1:53.