Michael Phelps captures 20th, 21st Olympic gold medals

By Callum Ng, CBC Sports

The gold rush continued for American swimming icon Michael Phelps on Tuesday in Rio.

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Phelps won the 20th and 21st Olympic gold medals of his illustrious career after winning the 200-metre butterfly, and then swimming the victorious anchor leg in the men's 4x200 freestyle relay competition. 

After his 200 fly, he had a little swagger in his celebration.

Phelps took back the 200 fly Olympic title he lost four years ago to South Africa's Chad le Clos, who finished fourth and off the podium.   

The finger wag may have been a post-race response to a years long beef between the two swimmers, and Phelps was caught showing no love for the South African by ready room cameras before Monday's semifinal.

As he often does, Phelps did his talking in the pool. The 31-year-old led the 200 fly from the halfway mark and would not be caught, finishing in a time of one minute 53.36 seconds. 

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Japan's Masato Sakai was only 4-100ths of a second behind, almost catching Phelps who laboured in his final strokes. Hungary's Tamas Kenderesi closed well to swim a time of 1:53.62 and take the bronze.

In the 4x200 relay Phelps' American teammates Conor Dwyer, Francis Haas, and Ryan Lochte handed him a healthy lead that he would not relinquish. The U.S. team finished with a time of 7:00.66. Great Britain was second with 7:03.13 and Japan rounded out the podium with a time of 7:03.50.  

Phelps now has 25 Olympic medals including 14 individual gold, which ties him for the record with Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. 

And Phelps' medal total could increase, he has three more races before Rio 2016 concludes. 

Ledecky charges to gold

In the women's 200 freestyle Katie Ledecky held off Sweden's Sarah Sjostrom with an aggressive race to capture her second individual gold medal of the Rio Olympics.

The American, who won the 400 free on Sunday, finished Tuesday's four-length race in a time of 1:53.73 seconds. Sjostrom went a time of 1:54.08, and Australia's Emma McKeon swam in 1:54.92 for bronze. 

"Pretty sure that's the closest I've come to throwing up in the middle of a race," Ledecky said. "I'm just so glad I got my hand on the wall first."

It was the most challenging individual race to win for Ledecky, who is expected to win the 800 free event on Friday.

This would give her the Olympic titles in the 200, 400, and 800 free; a triple not achieved at a single Games since American Debbie Meyer did so in Mexico City in 1968.

Ledecky also has a silver from the 4x100 free relay on the first day of the meet.

Condorelli makes final   

From the second semifinal Canada's Santo Condorelli, of Kenora, Ont., qualified for Wednesday's final in the 100-metres freestyle.

By touching the wall in a personal best of 47.93 seconds Condorelli is in the neighbourhood for the podium. 

Condorelli, 21, is tied with Australian Cameron McEvoy for the third-seed into tomorrow's final. McEvoy was in the first semifinal. For reference, Canada's Brent Hayden won the bronze medal at the London Olympics with a time of 47.80 seconds. 

Calgary's Yuri Kisil was 10th and did not advance.

In the women's 200 individual medley final Canada's Sydney Pickrem finished sixth.

With files from Reuters