Make it 23 Olympic medals for Michael Phelps.
The most decorated Olympian of all time added his 19th career gold medal when he and his 4x100M relay teammates took home an exciting victory Sunday night over France and Australia.
“We wanted to bring that relay back to American soil,” Phelps told NBC’s Michele Tafoya after the race. “Had some sour tastes in our mouths after 2012. I’m glad it’s back.”
The Americans lost the 4x100M relay, which they have historically dominated, at the 2012 London Olympics. Clearly Phelps was motivated heading into Rio de Janeiro.
He celebrated with a classic Phelps pose.
Caeleb Dressel got the U.S. off to a strong start in his first ever Olympic race, but Phelps opened a commanding lead by finishing his leg in 47.1 seconds — one second quicker than Dressel’s. Ryan Held and Nathan Adrian finished the job for the gold, the 300th medal in U.S. men’s Olympic swimming history.
Here are the final podium times:
1. USA — 3:09.92
2. France — 3:10.53
3. Australia — 3:11.37
Russia (3:11.64) just missed the podium, while Brazil (3:13.21) came in fifth.
Thumbnail photo via Rob Schumacher/USA TODAY Sports Images
