2016 Olympic swimming results: Simone Manuel makes history, Michael Phelps beats Ryan Lochte

Team USA came away with gold in three of four swimming finals on Thursday night, and we saw perhaps the best rivalry in sports, between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte, come to an end with the completion of the 200m individual medley. Simone Manuel also made history as the first black woman to win an individual swimming medal as she tied for gold in the 100m individual freestyle.

The storied rivalry between Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte came to an end with another gold medal for Phelps in the 200m individual medley. Lochte led for the first 100m but in the end did not medal. Phelps touched the wall in 1:54.66, a dominant finish after trailing early. Phelps, who plans to retire following the Rio Games, certainly does so at his peak, having become the only Olympic swimmer in history to win his first four events at any single Games. Japan’s Kosuke Hagino took the silver, and China’s Wang Shun came in third. Lochte finished fifth.

Simone Manuel wept openly after tying for gold in the 100m and becoming the first black woman in Olympic history to win an individual swimming medal. Manuel, along with Canada’s Penny Oleksiak, also set an Olympic record with their winning time of 52.70. Swedish swimmer Sarah Sjostrom took the bronze with a time of 52.99. Manuel’s gold was an upset, with Australian Cate Campbell and Oleksiak favored after finishing first and second in Tuesday’s semifinals.

Ryan Murphy cemented his title as the world’s premier backstroker with a dominant showing in the 200m event. He touched the wall in 1:53.62, more than three-tenths of a second ahead of his next closest competitor. That win was the icing on the cake after taking the 100m title on Tuesday. He’ll have one more chance for gold this weekend, and it’s likely he’ll leave Rio with three shiny souvenirs. The U.S. 4 x 100m medley relay team is a significant favorite to win the title.

Japan’s Rie Kaneto established herself as a true contender when she became one of swimming’s older first-time gold medalists. The 27-year-old claimed first in the 200m breaststroke one year after settling for sixth in the event at the World Championships. She held off a late push from Yulia Efimova to relegate the embattled Russian to a second silver medal at the 2016 Summer Olympics. Shi Jinglin of China took the bronze medal.

In semifinal action, Team USA’s Katie Ledecky continued her dominance, setting an Olympic record in the 800m freestyle event with a time of 8:12.86. Ledecky finished more than six seconds ahead of her closest competitor, Boglárka Kapás of Hungary, who touched the wall in 8:19.43. Ledecky will compete in the 800m freestyle finals Friday evening at 9:20 p.m. ET.