Phelps Now Most Successful Olympian

(ATR) After his rocky start at the London Games, Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian in history and couldn’t contain his happiness while swimming toward his record 19th medal.

"I started smiling with 20 meters to go," Phelps, 27, said of his anchor leg on the U.S. men’s 4 x 200 meter freestyle relay. "It’s the first time I think I’ve ever done that in a race."

Before the Tuesday night relay, Phelps had mistimed his finish in the 200-meter butterfly, losing his bid to win the event a record three times in a row. He lost to South African Chad le Clos by .05 of a second, but still got medal No. 18 to tie gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals for the Soviet Union from 1956-64.

"He’s not one who likes to lose," said teammate Ricky Berens. "To get out-touched like that -- I think a mad Michael Phelps is a good one to have on the relay."

Phelps had told his teammates to get him a big lead, and they did. The U.S. opened up a huge gap, then Phelps had the team’s fastest split as they beat France by more than 3 seconds.

"Michael came to us and said, ‘I want you guys to know that with that gold medal I became the most decorated Olympic athlete ever and I want to thank you guys,’" Berens said. "We didn’t really have much to say because we’re usually thanking him."

According to a U.S. swimming official, a ticket had been arranged for Latynina to attend the record-breaking session if she chose, but she wasn’t in the Aquatics Centre for the milestone swims. She is in London, however, and had said she intended to watch the women’s gymnastics team final earlier Tuesday.

Latynina won nine gold, five silver and four bronze medals. Going into the 2012 Olympics, Phelps had won 14 gold and two bronze, including his record eight gold medals in Beijing.

"Being able to do something that nobody has done before, that’s what I’ve always said I wanted to do," said Phelps, who swam in his first Olympics in Sydney in 2000, but did not medal.

In his first event in London, he was fourth in the 400 individual medley, then got a silver medal with the U.S. 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay. He still has three more events: the medley relay, the 200 individual medley and the 100-meter butterfly.

Phelps said he was "super serious" at the beginning of the Olympics, but the last couple of days, "I’ve been laughing all the time, joking, just having fun. That’s what I said I wanted to do in the beginning and that’s what I’m going to do the rest of the week."

He has vowed to retire after the London Olympics, leaving a legacy that may never be matched.

"Nothing’s untouchable," he said of the record.

Phelps’ coach, Bob Bowman, said that watching Phelps struggle a bit in these Games has made him appreciate what his accomplishments even more.

"I thought the golds used to come easily," Bowman said. "It underscores how difficult it is to win a medal . Anyone who gets any kind of medal should be highly celebrated."

Bowman also wants people to know that Phelps is "as good a person as he is an athlete." He said that he thinks people now see the superstar swimmer "a little more human instead of a machine."

The two began working together when Phelps was 11 years old.

"It was apparent he had potential," Bowman said. "He was super competitive. He just had something different. It was hard to define, but you knew that he was going to be a special athlete."

Reported in London by Karen Rosen

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