Since 2004, only one man has been a constant presence atop the podium after the 200m butterfly at the Olympic Games. With two gold medals and a silver in 2012, Michael Phelps is looking for one final stand in the 200 fly on Tuesday night.
Olympic swimming 2016 live stream: How to watch Michael Phelps compete in the 200m butterfly final
Michael Phelps and South African Chad le Clos will settle their rivalry in the 200m butterfly in Rio de Janeiro Tuesday evening.
Phelps, who has won six of his 22 Olympic medals in the butterfly discipline, will have a chance to redeem his razor-thin loss to South African Chad le Clos in 2012. le Clos snatched victory in London by just .05 seconds to prevent a Phelps three-peat. Since then, the two have engaged in trash talk in the lead up to Rio, and the South African put Phelps on blast in 2015.
“I just did a [100m butterfly] time that [Phelps] hasn’t done in four years, so he can keep quiet now,” said le Clos. “I’m just very happy that he’s back to his good form, so he can’t come out and say, ‘Oh, I haven’t been training’ or all that rubbish that he’s been talking. Next year [at Rio] is going to be Muhammad Ali-€”Joe Frazier.”
While the action in the natatorium may not rival the Fight of the Century, it should be a fitting end to one of swimming’s best rivalries.
2016 Rio Olympics 200m men’s butterfly coverage for Tuesday
All times Eastern
Events: Finals for men’s 200-meter butterfly
Time: 9:28 p.m.
TV: NBC swimming coverage begins at 8 p.m.
Online Streaming: NBC Sports stream
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