I’d never thought I’d ever say this, but Ryan Lochte is the new Michael Phelps.
Without doubt the best male swimmer in the world right now.
London 2012 may be a different story, because I don’t believe that Phelps will take this lying down…but for now, we can safely say that Lochte sits on top of world swimming.
His time has come, and that time is now.
If beating Phelps in the 200m Free was not enough, Lochte repeated the act by besting Phelps in the 200m IM (with a new WR!), which has always been Phelps’ stronghold.
And he easily dominated the 200m Back as well.
And he put in a remarkable showing in the anchor leg of the 4 x 200m Free relay as well, powering the US home to the gold medal.
The Phelps mystique seems to be wearing off with each passing day of the FINA world champs.
He might be slightly off-form, or he might not have peaked at this particular point in time.
Whatever.
But I believe Phelps will definitely strike back in London next year.
We’ll see how it goes.
To say that Phelps has been given a wake-up call is stating the obvious.
This is one of the most epic rivalries we’ve seen at the top of world swimming for quite awhile.
And if you’re American, you should feel very happy that you have two of the most dominant swimmers in the world right now, in the prime of their lives.
