Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps won the 100-meter butterfly at the London Games on Friday for a record 17th gold and 21st medal overall in his Olympic career, according to an Associated Press report published on Boston.com.
The win was also another so called “three-peat” for Phelps, who won this event at the Olympics in 2004 and 2008. The 100-meter butterfly, or “fly” as it is called, is the final individual race of his storied Olympic swimming career.
Phelps was “next to last at the turn but then produced his usual furious finish to clock 51.21 seconds,” as reported by Boston.com. Chad le Clos of South Africa and Evgeny Korotyshkin of Russia finished in 51.44 to tie for the silver medal.
"I didn't have a good finish, didn't have a good turn," he told Lisa Dillman of The Los Angeles Times, "But, you know what, I'm not going to nit-pick my races right now. I'm just happy to be able to defend that title. All of my 100 flys have have been within two-tenths of a second."
Phelps also told Dillman that "It's a good way to finish my last individual swim ever. To be able to win it is pretty special."
Phelps has three 2012 gold medals
Phelps has now won his third gold medal of the 2012 London Olympic Games. Phelps also became the first man in Olympic history to win an individual swimming event at three successive Games in Thursday's 200 individual medley.
Friday's 100 butterfly win also allowed him to do that on successive nights. Phelps won the 100 "fly" in Athens in 2004 and Beijing in 2008, according to a report on USA Today online.
Though Phelps got off to an uncharacteristically slow start during these 2012 Olympics in London, he is certainly finishing strong after becoming the top Olympic athlete in history after winning 21 medals.
Phelps has said that he plans to retire after the 2012 Olympics and is expected to end his Olympic career with the 4x100 medley relay Saturday.
Watch NBC-TV in prime time starting at 8 pm to see the race on tape delay.
For more about Michael Phelps gold medal in today’s 100-meter butterfly, visit this website on CNN.com
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