Major Upset: Ryan Lochte Beats Michael Phelps to Capture First Gold for the U.S.A.
- Posted on July 28, 2012 at 3:59pm by
Erica Ritz
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Michael Phelps competes in the Final of the Men's 400m Individual Medley. (Photo: Getty Images)
(AP) — Ryan Lochte turned his much-anticipated duel with Michael Phelps into a blowout, pulling away to win the Olympic 400-meter individual medley by more than 3 seconds Saturday night. Even more stunning: Phelps didn’t win any medal at all.
After barely qualifying for the evening final in a performance that hinted at trouble ahead, Phelps struggled to a fourth-place finish and was denied his 17th career Olympic medal. When it was done, he could barely pull himself out of the pool.
Phelps reacts after finishing fourth in the Final of the Men's 400m Individual Medley. (Photo: AP)
“It was just a crappy race,” Phelps said. “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.”
Brazil’s Thiago Pereira took the silver, and Japan’s Kosuke Hagino claimed the bronze – beating Phelps by a fairly comfortable 34-hundredths of a second for the last spot on the podium.
Michael Phelps climbs out of the pool after finishing fourth in the Final of the Men's 400m Individual Medley on Day 1 of the Olympic Games. (Photo: AP)
It was the first time since the 2000 Sydney Games, when Phelps was a 15-year-old unknown who qualified in just one event, that he didn’t win at least a bronze in an Olympic race. Since then, he was 16-of-16 – 14 golds and two bronzes.
Lochte climbed out of the pool with a big smile, waving to the crowd and looking about a fresh as he did at the start. He had predicted this would be his year and, for the first race at least, he was right on the mark.
Ryan Lochte of the United States reacts after he won the Final of the Men's 400m Individual Medley on Day 1 of the London 2012 Olympic Games. (Photo: Getty Images)
“I think I’m kind of in shock right now,” he said. As for Phelps, “I know he gave it everything he had. That’s all you can ask for.”
Phelps was trying to become the first male swimmer to win the same event at three straight Olympics. He‘ll have three more chances at a threepeat before he’s done in London, having also won the 200 individual medley, plus the 100 and 200 butterfly, at the last two Olympics.
But this was shocking, totally out of character for a swimmer who won six gold medals in Athens, then a record eight in Beijing to break Mark Spitz’s Olympic record.
(Photo: AP)
Phelps fell behind right from the start in the butterfly, his trademark stroke. From there, it was all Lochte. He stretched his margin in the backstroke and breaststroke, then cruised to the gold in the freestyle, a good three body lengths ahead of the rest of the field.
“It’s frustrating, that’s all I can say. It’s pretty upsetting,” Phelps said. “The biggest thing now is to try to look forward. I have a bunch of other races, and hopefully we can finish a lot better than how we started.”
See more photos from the competitive event, below:
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Comments (46)
Proudmomof2
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 8:48pmGood grief! I didnt see any spoiler alert! ”Here I was watching the Olympics, awaiting this race. Guess I can turn the channel. Thanks alot, Blaze. I am so frustrated with the Blaze right now. I will stay off for the next two weeks!
Report Post »KoolAidDrinker
Posted on July 29, 2012 at 9:01amHe didn’t do that, ‘Somebody else made that happen!’ Seven other competitors had to loose to make that happen. It’s not fair that only one gets the gold. He didn’t build that pool. He should share the wealth. This guy will get millions in endorsement contracts and that’s not fair.
Congratulations Ryan, all of the long hours you invested have paid off…..
Report Post »Quasimofo
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 8:35pmHave another joint and ******, Michael.
Report Post »HKS
Posted on July 29, 2012 at 7:13amTo much bong time in the off season.
Report Post »KoolAidDrinker
Posted on July 29, 2012 at 9:21amPhelps, just another ‘Choom Gang’ wannabe….
Report Post »DAS_NIETZSCHEAN
Posted on July 29, 2012 at 3:01pmAgreed, he smoke too much gonji. Hero‘s don’t use drugs…
Report Post »who is this guy to look up to?
a washed up swimmer that is just a used to be.
slvrserfr
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 7:41pmPhelps should have laid off the bongs.
Report Post »chips1
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 7:29pmHe has the training. He has the knowledge. He just doesn’t have the “Eye of the Tiger”. It’s 95% mental. Some days you just don’t feel the same as you did the day before and it shows. If you bench pressed 500 pounds yesterday then you can do it today, unless your mind just doesn’t feel like doing it.
Report Post »AmericanStrega
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 7:00pmWhy do athletes from the same country compete against each other in the olympics? I saw two Italians competing against each other in Fencing (sp). I’ll admit, the last time I watched the olympics was back in the 70′s. I wasn‘t that impressed so don’t remember who competed against whom. Have athletes from the same country always competed against each other? Just wondering.
Report Post »Thanks,
AmericanStrega
teebubba
Posted on July 29, 2012 at 3:44amIt is sort of like if you took the top 100 swimmers in any single swim event in the world 55 of them might normally live and compete in the US but we can only bring 3 to the Olympics.
Report Post »GoodStuff
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 6:50pmGee, Blaze…thanks alot for the spoiler warning…oh wait.
Report Post »MNYukon
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 6:17pmThere comes a time when endurance follows age. He is no longer 18 years old.
Report Post »teebubba
Posted on July 29, 2012 at 3:56amExactly…and Michael is on the borderline of when that begins to decline. Locke has maintained his endurance by busting his butt every day but Phelps is relying on his “natural physical gifts” to get by this time. If Phelps is going to win a gold it will most likely come in one or more of the 100 meter events where endurance isn’t as much a key to victory.
Report Post »sempek1
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 6:05pmCome on! These are two great athletes. Does Phelps have to constantly be reminded of a stpid mistake? He’s paid plenty. Ease up and give him and the team the praise they deserve.
Report Post »melodyweir
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 6:03pmWe need to have respect for Michael Phelps He is am American Hero. I do not know why we need to tear him down. So he smoked pot, didn’t Bill Clinton do the same. The pressure at his age is daunting. We should uplift him and wish him the best. He will win again, he had a bad day. We all have them.
Report Post »Give it a rest!!! Wish him well, he deserves our respect.
nonliberal
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 5:56pm1 to many dime bags.
Report Post »christos
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 5:41pm.Michael Phelps looks like guys that take steroids “hardened/calcified” Frankenstein looking,,,
Report Post »lessoneleg
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 5:33pmMr.Phelps is now proving that his personal transgressions do come with a price.
Race Final Number 1 – Fourth Place
What came so easily can be taken away.
Report Post »chazmo
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 5:25pmAfter that Opening Ceremony I can’t bring myself to watch this year. I’m permanently scared from it.. ugh
Report Post »NOT A CRAZY
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 5:18pmRight On Ryan. USA wins.
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:58pmMary jane will cut your wind more than cigarettes in the long run.
Report Post »Carlinpa
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:46pmYou see, Phelps proves that NOTHING happens to you for smoking pot… nothing… nothing at all…
Report Post »Pot Head!!
TIME_2_END_THE_PAUL_CAMPAIGN_IN_12
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:56pmLMAO…. how true….
Report Post »freedomisasfreedomdoes
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:17pmThe pressure must be difficult. How can anyone even put themselves in Phelps place? Anyone? Look at his last Olympic performance. How can any country anyone speak as to how is performance is? Poor guy for having such pressure. Phelps no matter what you are AMAZING :)
Report Post »mikee99
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:13pmHe only trained for this event for Six or so months. He took three years off and was not planning on doing it this time. So this was a last minute decision and is not all that surprising. This event takes years to train for normally.
I believe Phelps will do great in his other events.
Report Post »freedomisasfreedomdoes
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:13pmPhelps and Lochte ROCK! YOU GO GUYS YOU GO!
Report Post »CatB
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:37pmAgree!
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:11pmAnd here we are talking about him…….hey, are border agents still being killed? Oh and I heard Lady Gaga sent a nudie picture of herself. Also, did anyone know a tree grows in Brooklyn?
Report Post »TIME_2_END_THE_PAUL_CAMPAIGN_IN_12
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:54pmPO’d that the Chinese medaled Gold in the 10m Air-Rifle event? You should have practiced better…
Shooting a daisy rifle at the county fair just doesn’t cut it as training Trekkie. Kentucky windage and a cork projectile a Gold Medal doesn’t make…
Report Post »Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 6:21pmWhat, we lost the Air Rifle event…….see all those liberals with “You’re gonna shoot your eye out kid” has crippled our country. Next I bet we lose the cup stacking event.
Report Post »teebubba
Posted on July 29, 2012 at 4:08amAnd a Russian mega millionaire owns that NBA team that appeared in Brooklyn recently.
Report Post »Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:08pmI wonder if there may be some medical condition starting to come to light; he mentions the first 200 meters were great, then everything went wrong. Now it could be he just had a bad time this one competition, yet the chance still exists.
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:13pmA medical condition? You got a lot more out of this story than I did. Athletes have a shelf life, his is about up.
Report Post »Chet Hempstead
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 5:12pmHe just didn’t decide to go back in training until a little too late. If you’ve ever read about the schedule he has to maintain and how hard he has to work when he is in training, it’s hard to really blame him for wanting to put off the decision. He still came in fourth and the next three guys after him were all at least six years younger than him.
Report Post »NOT A CRAZY
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 5:15pmI think it was that big medicinal bong hit he did right before the race.
Report Post »BetterInformed
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:08pmNot enough Wheaties.
Report Post »barber2
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:06pm“to try to look forward.” Forward. Forward. Now where have I seen and heard that word before….
Report Post »Gonzo
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:04pmShoulda laid off the bong Mike.
Report Post »FREEDOMoverFEAR
Posted on July 28, 2012 at 4:02pmMaybe too many bong rips not enough practice?
Report Post »