Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps, two of the greatest American swimmers of all time, will face off for what could be the final time in the Olympic Trials Friday night in Omaha, Neb.
The two legends will compete to try and earn a spot in the 200-meter individual medley — though most of the intrigue is gone considering the top two will make it to the Olympic Games in Rio. They are heavily favored in this event.
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Will Licon of Texas was the No. 3 seed entering the race, but he was scratched to concentrate on the 200-meter breaststroke on Thursday night. He finished third by .14 seconds in that event and did not qualify. The No. 4 seed, Chase Kalisz, also scratched.
Both Lochte and Phelps are already set to compete in events at Rio, and they should both add this event to their list. But Friday night is really about their competitive legacies.
"I think it's one of the greatest rivalries in sports," Lochte said via Yahoo Sports after qualifying first, in 1 minute, 56.7 seconds – the second-fastest time in the world this year.
Phelps agreed.
"We have great races," Phelps said. "We're going to be right there with each other tomorrow in the middle of the pool, a couple lanes apart, and it's going to be good. We're going to … probably step on the gas a little bit more than we have in the past and you'll have an exciting race."