Michael Phelps has done it. The swimming superstar won his 20th and 21st Olympic gold medals Tuesday, finishing first in the men’s 200-metre butterfly and leading the United States to victory in the men’s 4×200-metre freestyle relay.
Phelps’ time of 1:53.36 in the butterfly was enough to edge Japan’s Masato Sakai and Hungary’s Tamas Kenderesi, who won silver and bronze, respectively. Great Britain won silver and Japan bronze in the relay.
The 200-metre butterfly has been one of Phelps’ best events throughout his career. He won Olympic gold medals in Athens in 2004, Beijing in 2008 but was upset by South Africa’s Chad Le Clos at London 2012 and was forced to settle for silver. He avenged that loss Tuesday as Le Clos finished fourth.
The butterfly win means Phelps, 31, becomes the oldest swimmer in Olympic history to win gold in an individual event.
Phelps now has 25 total Olympic medals in his career, 14 of which have come in individual events.
