Golden boy Phelps makes history securing 19th medal

Michael Phelps last night became the most decorated athlete in Olympic history when his gold in the 4x200 metres freestyle relay took him to 19 medals.

Earlier in the evening the 27-year-old equalled Larisa Latynina’s record with silver in the 200m butterfly where he was narrowly beaten by South Africa’s Chad le Clos in a dramatic finish. However, the US swimmer then surpassed the Russian, whose record had stood since 1964 to stand alone at the pinnacle — with three more events to come.

His medal count now stands at 15 gold, two silver, two bronze.

Phelps had more than a two second lead when he took over as the last of the American contingent. Phelps said he told his team-mates to give him a big lead going into the last leg.

‘‘They gave it to me,’’ an elated Phelps said. “So I just wanted to hold on. And I thanked them for being able to allow me to have this moment. It has been a pretty amazing career but we still have a couple of races left.

“The important thing was for me to come back with these (relay) guys and we did it. It’s my first medal of the meet so I’m very happy.”

He added: “The 200m butterfly didn’t really go the way I wanted. I have had the privilege of getting to know Chad (le Clos) over the last year and he is a hard worker and a very talented kid. I can’t be too upset. The time was decent for me.”