USA dominate in pool throughPhelpsand Murphy; Britain win cycling sprint gold

Michael Phelps of the United States won the Olympic 200 metres individual medley on Thursday to capture the 22nd gold medal of his career and become the first swimmer to win the same event at four consecutive Games.

Japan’s Kosuke Hagino won silver and Wang Shun of China took bronze, both moving dramatically through the field on the final length after turning in fifth and seventh place.

It was yet another extraordinary swim for Phelps, 31, who has now won two individual and two relay golds at his fifth Olympics, two years after coming out of retirement.

His total medal haul has now risen to 26, including two silvers and two bronzes, with the 100 metres butterfly still to come.

Brazil’s Thiago Pereira went off fastest, leading from Phelps after the butterfly leg, with Ryan Lochte and Hagino neck-and-neck just behind.

With the Rio crowd’s excitement mounting, the three turned almost together after the backstroke, with Lochte a fraction ahead.

Phelps led from Pereira and Lochte at the final turn and powered on as the other two faded, opening the way for Hagino and Wang to grab the two other medals.

Phelps’ four consecutive golds in the same event are unique for a swimmer, and place him in the same Olympic pantheon as Al Oerter in the discus and Carl Lewis in the long jump.

The great Olympian, who was known for his stoic reaction to success in the past, has painted a more emotional figure at these games, something he puts down to changes in his life since 2012, including the birth of his son Boomer.

“I mean I say this a lot but it’s really, it’s very single day I’m living a dream come true. This is something that as a kid I wanted to do something nobody had over done before and I’m enjoying it – that something I couldn’t say about my career in 2012 so being able to finish how I want is very special to me and is why you are seeing more and more emotion on the medal podium,” said Phelps.

Earlier in the pool, compatriot Ryan Murphy completed a backstroke double and extended a U.S. winning streak, adding the Olympic men’s 200 metres gold to the 100 title he won earlier in the week.

The U.S. men have now won the event for six successive Olympics dating back to Atlanta in 1996.

World champion Mitch Larkin, who had hoped to become only the second Australian to win a backstroke gold and the first since 1960, took the silver medal while Russian Evgeny Rylov clinched bronze.

Murphy, a 21-year-old first time Olympian, trailed Larkin over the first 50 metres but took the lead after the turn and stayed ahead to touch out in one minute, 53.62 seconds — the fastest time of the year.

He will be heavily fancied to take his third medal of the Games in Saturday’s medley relay, having set an Olympic record in winning the 100 backstroke.

Britain won the men’s track cycling team sprint gold for the third consecutive Olympics after defeating New Zealand on Thursday, with Callum Skinner anchoring them to victory in the first event of the track programme.

Skinner, Jason Kenny and Philip Hindes set the third Olympic record of the day to beat the world champions by the narrowest of margins.

Britain clocked 42.440 for the three laps of the 250 metre circuit, 0.102 seconds quicker than New Zealand who were bidding for their first Olympic gold in the discipline.

Despite reports of the track being slow beforehand, Britain set an Olympic record in the qualifying round, New Zealand, anchored by Eddie Dawkins went even quicker in round one and Britain went faster still in the final.

New Zealand led early in the race but Britain surged back.

France beat Australia to win the bronze medal

Barbara Engleder of Germany won gold in the women’s 50 metre rifle three position on Thursday, her first medal in four Olympic Games.

The 33-year-old Engleder ranked at or near the top through the kneeling, prone and standing positions of the competition, holding off two Chinese shooters.

Zhang Binbin took the silver and 2008 Olympic champion Du Li the bronze.

Engleder reacted wildly to her victory and afterwards said the win, unsurprisingly, had changed her attitude of the Rio Olympics.

“A few days before I was fourth at the arrival competition, and I thought ‘I hate Rio’, but now I love Rio!”

Olympic swimming men’s 200m individual medley final result:

1. Michael Phelps (U.S.) 1 minute 54.66 seconds
2. Kosuke Hagino (Japan) 1:56.61
3. Wang Shun (China) 1:57.05
4. Hiromasa Fujimori (Japan) 1:57.21
5. Ryan Lochte (U.S.) 1:57.47
6. Philip Heintz (Germany) 1:57.48
7. Thiago Pereira (Brazil) 1:58.02
8. Dan Wallace (Britain) 1:58.54

Olympic swimming men’s 200m backstroke final result:

1. Ryan Murphy (U.S.) 1 minute 53.62 seconds
2. Mitch Larkin (Australia) 1:53.96
3. Evgeny Rylov (Russia) 1:53.97
4. Xu Jiayu (China) 1:55.16
5. Jacob Pebley (U.S.) 1:55.52
6. Li Guangyuan (China) 1:55.89
7. Christian Diener (Germany) 1:56.27
8. Ryosuke Irie (Japan) 1:56.36