Michael Phelps wins 20th Olympic gold medal

Michael Phelps of Team USA and South Africa's Chad le Clos compete in the 200m butterfly.
(Image credit: David Ramos/Getty Images)

American swimmer Michael Phelps earned his 20th Olympic gold on Tuesday at the Rio Olympics, and his 24th Olympic medal overall, after winning the 200m butterfly.

The 31-year-old, who set the world record in the event in 2009, finished the race in 1:53.36, just .04 seconds ahead of silver medalist Masato Sakai of Japan. During the 2012 Olympics, Phelps took the silver medal in the 200m butterfly, finishing behind South Africa's Chad le Clos. This year, le Clos came in fourth with a time of 1:54.06.

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Catherine Garcia, The Week US

Catherine Garcia is night editor for TheWeek.com. Her writing and reporting has appeared in Entertainment Weekly and EW.com, The New York Times, The Book of Jezebel, and other publications. A Southern California native, Catherine is a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.