Over And Out: Michael Phelps Leads USA To Gold In Final Race

Michael Phelps went out a winner in the Olympics.

In what he says will be his last-ever Olympic swim, Phelps helped the United States rally to win a gold medal in the men’s 4x100m medley relay Saturday night in London. The Americans finished in 3:29.35, beating Japan by almost two full seconds (1.91). Australia won the bronze medal in 3:31.58.

There will be four gold medals on the line during the final day of swimming at the aquatics center in London on Sunday. One of those golds will be awarded in the men’s 4x100 medley relay, the final Olympic swim for Michael Phelps. On Friday, Phelps won his 17th career gold medal by bringing home the 100m fly, his third straight Olympic gold in the event.

Phelps will swim the butterfly leg on Saturday’s medley relay, an event that Team USA won in 2008 while setting a new world record. The lineup is expected to feature Phelps along with Nathan Adrian, Brendan Hansen, and Matt Grevers. Team USA is a favorite again, and a win would earn Phelps his 18th gold medal and 22nd Olympic medal.

As the 2012 Summer Olympics continues on to Day 8, the swimming competition is beginning to wind down to a close. There will be just four races on Saturday afternoon, but all four races are for medals. The first race will see American Jessica Hardy try to add another U.S. swimming medal in the Women’s 50m Freestyle while the men and women also both compete in two 4x 100m relay events.

The full swimming schedule for Saturday is as follows: