Phelps Wins Medal No. 19, Most of Any Olympian

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 Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time Tuesday night, anchoring the United States’ 800-meter freestyle relay team to a thunderous victory at the London Aquatics Centre.

The medal was the 15th gold, and the 19th over all, of Phelps’s unmatched Olympic career. That pushed him past the longtime holder of the mark, the former Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina.

Phelps and his teammates – Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens — beat France’s team by more than three seconds, burying the rest of the field. China won the bronze, but the race was never close, and that allowed Phelps to coast home.

He touched the wall, then spat a stream of water in the air. Resting on a lane rope, he shook hands with his teammates and members of the other relay teams who came over to offer their hands. Once he got out of the pool, he huddled with his teammates, thanking them for giving him the moment.

About a half-hour earlier, Phelps had tied Latynina’s record with his 18th medal, but he hardly seemed happy about it. He was touched out by Chad Le Clos of South Africa at the finish of the 200-meter butterfly final, denying him a third straight gold medal in the event.