Michael Phelps Wins Record 21st Gold In 200M Butterfly, Katie Ledecky Shines As US Wins Freestyle Relay

With arms raised and a wagging finger, Michael Phelps made sure to let everyone know on Tuesday night who was still No. 1.

Michael Phelps Wins Record 21st Gold In 200M Butterfly

Phelps bumped his Olympic record to 21 gold medals in Rio on Tuesday on a stellar night for USA Swimming.

While Phelps won the 200-meter butterfly and the US team took gold in the 4×200 meter freestyle relay, Katie Ledecky earned her second title of the 2016 Olympics.

Four years after losing his 200-meter Olympic butterfly title, Phelps beat his 24-year-old South African rival Chad le Clos for the gold.

The oldest individual gold medalist in Olympic swimming history at 31, Phelps celebrated the victory by hugging his three-month-old son Boomer after basking in the loud cheers and applause from the crowd.

The Towson, Maryland native quit the sport after the London 2012 Games and then returned two years afterwards. Now, it seems his comeback has made a resounding splash.

Le Clos won the gold in 2012, thus leaving Phelps with a shocking defeat after he had won the event in both 2004 and 2008.

The American finished in a time of 1 minute 53.73 second with Japan’s Masato Sakai claiming silver and Hungary’s Tamas Kenderesi earning bronze.

Le Clos, whose training for the Olympics has largely been overshadowed by the news that both his parents were diagnosed with cancer, just missed a medal to finish fourth.

Phelps returned to the pool for the men’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay to add another gold medal ahead of Great Britain and Japan in an exhilarating finale.

Phelps, along with Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Townley Haas– who swam the first three legs– celebrated after winning his 21st gold medal and 25th overall before taking time to rest.

Ledecky, who had already won the 400-meter freestyle, edged out Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom and Australia’s Emma McKeon on Tuesday.

The 19-year-old, who finished behind Sjostrom in her semifinal heat, finished in an incredible 1 minute 53.73 seconds.

Ledecky, who is also hoping to successfully defend the 800-meter title she won in London at the age of 15, has also already helped the US take silver in the 4×100 meter relay.

“That hurt pretty badly,” she told reporters after the race. “It’s the closest I’ve come to throwing up at the end of a race. I was just glad to get my hand on the wall first.

“It was a stressful race and I feel good now it’s over. I took it pretty fast and forced everyone and once I was ahead I was not going to let it out of my hands.”