Ryan Lochte dominated the field and won the gold medal in the Men’s 400m IM finals on Saturday, challenging the world record for much of the swim. Michael Phelps finished a disappointing, and surprising, fourth place.
Ryan Lochte Dominates 400m IM Finals, Michael Phelps Fourth
Lochte finished in a time of 4:05.18, more than three seconds ahead of the silver medal winner, Brazil’s Thiago Pereira. Japan’s Kosuke Hagino took home the bronze.
It’s the first time Phelps (4:09.28) has not finished an Olympic final with a medal since the 2000 Summer Games.
Lochte led after the first 100m as they transitioned into the backstroke, his best discipline. He pulled away from the field in those 100m and then continued to separate himself from the rest of the field in the breaststroke. By the time it got to the freestyle, the final 100m, it was just a matter of whether or not he’d break the world record.
Phelps, who still owns the world-record, won the gold medal in the 400m IM in both the 2008 and 2004 Olympics. The London Games were expected to be a passing of the torch of sorts, from Phelps to Lochte, and early results seem to indicate that will be the case.
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