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RIO DE JANEIRO -- On a night in which Michael Phelps became the first Olympic swimmer to win an event for the fourth consecutive time, a night he squashed the competition by nearly two seconds and then 37 minutes later swam the semifinals of a different race, it was perhaps the fight he had atop the medal stand that was his greatest challenge.For all these years, Phelps has always maintained his stoic, machine-like poker face when gold is draped around his neck. Especially on a night when he still had another race. These had been the directives from U.S. coach Bob Bowman. When you hear The Star-Spangled Banner, start stoking that fire for the next race. Maintain your focus. Thursday night that proved impossible.As the American flag was raised to the rafters of the Olympic Aquatics Stadium, Phelps eyes watered. He pursed his lips. He took one deep breath. Then another. And yet another, trying anything he could to swat away the waves of emotion that were coming over him. He failed.Every time I hear the national anthem there are so many memories going through my head now, he said. And pretty much every time I hear it Im in tears. I was trying to hold it back tonight and I couldnt.Barring an unforeseen comeback, Phelps career is down to two events. He has one more individual race -- Friday nights 100-meter butterfly -- and then the 4x100 medley relay to close out the meet Saturday. And with each step closer to the end, he pulls down shade after shade to reveal the human that has lived within this swimming robot all along.Thats the first time hes ever done that, Bowman said of Phelps emotion on the stand. But that was nice to see, actually. I liked that.If Tuesday nights win in the 200 butterfly was about redemption and regaining ownership of a race he had long felt belonged to him, Thursday nights gold in the 200 individual medley was confirmation that Phelps is not only the greatest of all time but the greatest in the water right now. At 31.It had been billed as him vs. fellow American Ryan Lochte, the two most decorated Olympic male swimmers in history, one last time. Swimmings version of Manning vs. Brady. But on this night, as it had been the previous three Olympics and four Olympic trials, Lochte couldnt top his rival and friend. Not even close. Lochte, 32, led halfway through the race, but on the breaststroke leg -- supposedly Phelps weakest stroke -- Phelps transformed a hundredths-of-a second deficit into a nearly half-second lead.He then put the pedal to the floor on the final 50 meters, the freestyle leg. The final margin of victory over Japans Kosuke Hagino? Nearly two seconds, an outcome Bowman said he never saw coming but became possible when Phelps broke his competition during the breaststroke.I thought they would go out fast and someone would hold on, Bowman said. I think he surprised them a little bit.Phelps time of 1:54.66 was the fastest in the world this year and only 0.66 seconds off Lochtes 5-year-old world record. It was yet another reminder -- as if it were needed -- of Phelps utter dominance. Bring your shadowboxing Chad le Clos. Bring Lochte, the guy who perhaps could have been Phelps had he been born in a different era. Bring Thiago Pereira, Brazils most popular swimmer. Have the race in the heartbeat of Brazil, with fans chanting THIAGO! THIAGO! THIAGO! It wont matter. Phelps will still crush them all.And when its over, the rest of the field will largely be left dazed and confused. On Tuesday it was le Clos, who finally spoke Thursday afternoon and called his loss to Phelps in the much-hyped 200 fly the worst performance of my career. Later Thursday, it was Lochte, confessing, It just wasnt good enough.This is the ending Phelps has done everything he could to script since coming back in 2014. Burned by the bitter taste in his mouth after a relatively disappointing performance in London, he promised to do Rio the right way. It wasnt even about the medals -- he walked away from 2012 with four golds and two silvers, after all. It was about recommitting himself to swimming and falling in love with the sport all over again. And it just so happens that the reward for that unwavering, never-miss-a-practice commitment has been a nearly perfect performance in Rio.I feel like a kid again, and thats the difference, Phelps said. I feel like I did when I was 18. That was the only way to get back and race at this level consistently.There are those who surely have flipped on their television this week and basked in the red, white and blue glory that is Phelps winning gold after gold. They, like Phelps himself, are without adjectives to describe what they are watching. All they know is when he dives in the water he is as certain to touch the wall before anyone else as the sun is to rise in the East.But lost in that perfect outcome is the work it took to get there. It wasnt always this way. When Phelps first returned to training in 2014, he lost sets to female teammates in training. He finished ninth in the 200 freestyle at a May 2014 Grand Prix meet in Charlotte, North Carolina. And just this past June in an Olympic trials tuneup meet in Austin, Texas, he finished fourth in the 200 free and second in the 100 butterfly.There are multiple times where I can recall I said, What the hell am I doing swimming again? Im so slow. This is terrible. Whats going on? Phelps said. I was frustrated. But I just had to trust Bob. He hasnt let me down once, so I didnt think hed let me down now.Added Bowman: It isnt because of the talent; its the work. The work is what did it -- particularly this time around.Work like extra sets on breaststroke, which Bowman specifically fine-tuned in the lead-up to Rio. Or work like not missing a single training session after finishing a 45-day stint at a behavioral rehabilitation center in November 2014.Combine that with the unparalleled talent and a competitive fire that Michael Jordan himself would respect, and youre left with the greatest Olympian of all time putting on one final show for the world to see.The biggest thing for me so far is Ive been able to finish how I wanted to, Phelps said. Ive been able to come back and accomplish things that I dreamt of. Being able to win my fourth 200 IM in a row? I dont know how to put that into words. Its been a very, very special week so far for closing out my career.Air Max 90 Ireland Sale . "Jeff is a hard worker who was an important special-teams contributor for us last season," said Stamps GM John Hufnagel. Discount Air Max 90 . The visitors took a deserved lead in the 16th minute with midfielder Yohan Cabaye curling the ball beyond Adrian from inside the penalty area. http://www.cheapairmax90ireland.com/ .ca NHL Power Rankings for the second straight week, ahead of the Pittsburgh Penguins and Colorado Avalanche. Wholesale Air Max 90 Ireland . Then the Pacers gave Oladipo and his Orlando teammates the cold shoulder. Paul Georges buzzer-beating 3-pointer at the end of the third quarter spurred a 21-4 run, finally sending Indiana past the Magic 97-87 in a tougher-than-expected opening night matchup. Air Max 90 Ireland Cheap . Houston won 3-0 to advance to face New York in the Eastern Conference semifinals. Last in the game, Di Vaio and Romero got into a shoving match with several Houston players. Romero appeared to elbow and kick Houston defender Kofi Sarkodie.This story is part of ESPN The Magazines Oct. 31 NBA Preview Issue. Subscribe today!Los Angeles RamsOverall: 121 Title track: 58 Ownership: 121 Coaching: 109 Players: 106 Fan relations: 121 Affordability: 97 Stadium experience: 120 Bang for the buck: 74 Change from last year: -13The Rams move from St. Louis back to Los Angeles doubled their value, but it didnt necessarily make them more popular. At least, not yet. They return to the West Coast as the Ultimate Standings second-worst franchise, down another 13 spots even after a poor showing last year. But they have greater revenue streams, a young roster and the prospects of a new stadium, so they are ever-hopeful of a better day. Things can only turn up ... right?Whats goodThe Rams have finished below .500 in nine straight years, but a title track of 58 suggests fans remain somewhat hopeful that the organization is upward trending (or at least, that enough of them havent forgotten their Super Bowl XXIV win). In terms of hope for the future, Les Snead and Jeff Fisher have at least built an intriguing young core, drafting players such as Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley, Alec Ogletree, Michael Brockers, Trumaine Johnson, T.J. McDonald and Tavon Austin over the last five years. If their most recent draft picks click -- most notably Jared Goff and Pharoh Cooper -- the Rams could be on track for postseason contention. They have the second-youngest roster in the league, so perhaps take their 3-1 start with a grain of salt.Whats badThe organization figured it would burn some bridges by uprooting a franchise, so a fan relations ranking of 121 --- down seven spots from last year -- is not unexpected.dddddddddddd Stan Kroenke, the 121st-ranked owner in sports, according to fans, is public enemy No. 1 in St. Louis, and his new fan base is learning how to love again. But some good signs emerged initially. The Rams drew around 90,000 fans for both the first preseason game and the first regular-season game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, which ranks 120th in stadium experience, but likely has less to do with the Coliseum than the fact that its not the Edward Jones Dome. That was all part of the honeymoon stage, however. Itll rub off quickly. The Rams will have to win consistently if they hope to maintain attention spans on the West Coast.Whats newThe Rams outfitted themselves for the bright lights of L.A. by moving up 14 spots to take Goff No. 1 overall in the 2016 draft -- a needed addition since the team fell 20 spots in players this year (smaller only than the drop for coach Jeff Fisher, who fell 49 spots after the move). But Goff wasnt even active when the season began, and the offense he watched from the sidelines may be the least aesthetically pleasing in the NFL. In a passing league, the Rams struggle mightily to throw the ball down the field. But they do have stars, most notably with Gurley and Donald, two of the very best at what they do. Theyre hoping Goff eventually ascends, too, so that, you know, they can be a little bit more watchable.Next: San Francisco 49ers?| Full rankings ' ' '