Michael Phelps Wins 22nd Medal, 18th Gold in Final Race of His Olympic Career

USMagazine, Saturday, August 4, 2012, 1:15pm (PDT)

Freaking fantastic finale, Michael Phelps!

On Saturday evening, the 27-year-old swimming legend won his 18th gold medal and his 22nd overall in the 4 x 100-meter medley relay in London -- his very last race ever in his Olympics career.

Phelps swam the butterfly leg of the event with teammates Matt Grevers (backstroke), Brendan Hansen (breaststroke) and Nathan Adrian (freestyle) -- with the quartet clocking in first at 3:29.35, besting Japan (silver) and Australia (bronze).

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As it turns out, the medley relay is a swimming event the USA has completely dominated since it debuted at the Olympics in 1960.

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Phelps became the most decorated Olympic athlete earlier last Tuesday when he won his 19th medal overall -- besting a record previously set by Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina. He received a Tweet and congratulatory call from none other than President Barack Obama, who called him "the greatest Olympian ever."

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What are his post-Olympics plans?

"Once I hang my suit up I want to be able to look back and say I've done everything I can in my career -- whether that's having fifty gold medals or having sixteen total medals," the Baltimore, Maryland native has told Us Weekly last week. "If I can say I've done everything I've wanted, I think that's really all that matters."

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This article originally appeared on Usmagazine.com: Michael Phelps Wins 22nd Medal, 18th Gold in Final Race of His Olympic Career