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United States swimmer Michael Phelps poses after he received the trophy of the greatest Olympic athlete of all time after he won gold in the men's 4x100m medley relay final at the London 2012 Olympic Games on Aug 4, 2012 in London. -- PHOTO: AFP
LONDON (AFP) - Michael Phelps savored one last golden moment on Saturday, capping his remarkable Olympic swimming career with an 18th gold medal in the final event in the Aquatics Centre competition pool.
"It's tough to put into words right now," Phelps said. "I did everything I wanted to do.
"I finished my career the way I wanted to, and I don't care what anyone says, if I can say that, it's all that matters." With the United States men unbeaten in the 4x100m medley relay in Olympic competition, the race was a coronation for the man Serbian swimmer Milorad Cavic called "the king".
But breaststroke star Kosuke Kitajima added some drama to the occasion, seizing a narrow lead for Japan by the time Phelps dived in for the butterfly leg behind US backstroker Matt Grevers and breaststroke swimmer Brendan Hansen.
