In the end, this is the way he wanted to go.
Standing atop the Olympic medal podium for the 23rd time, Michael Phelps teared up and bit his lip.
“It turned out pretty cool,” Phelps said, another gold medal around his neck. “It’s just a perfect way to finish.”
Phelps, who says he really is retiring this time, put the United States ahead to stay Saturday on the butterfly leg of the 4×100-meter medley relay, giving the most decorated athlete in Olympic history his 23rd gold medal.
To put this in perspective, no other Olympian has more than nine golds. With 28 medals in all, Phelps is 10 clear of anyone else.
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“It’s not even once in a generation,” said his coach, Bob Bowman. “It might be once in 10 generations that someone like Michael Phelps comes along.”
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