Michael Phelps won his 19th gold medal on Sunday night at the Olympics in the 4x100m freestyle relay event. On Monday night before the semifinal of the 200m butterfly, Phelps showed his viral gameface while watching rival Chad Le Clos warm up.
Le Clos won a silver medal earlier in the evening in the final of the 200m freestyle event and is hoping to repeat his heroics of London where he upset Phelps in the 200m butterfly. Phelps and Le Clos traded some barbs through the media last year when Phelps made it known he was coming back to race in Rio for the 2016 Olympics, so there’s definitely a rivalry between the two.
While waiting to race in the second semifinal heat, Le Clos engaged in some Rocky style training montage while Phelps gave him the icy death stare.
Let’s take a look at the evolution of Phelps’ gameface before preparing to race.
Silently brooding….
Mulling over whether it’s best to incinerate his opponent in a fiery blaze or shatter them in a pillar of ice.
Target lock…
ENGAGE STANK FACE DEATH STARE.
The combination of the 200m freestyle and shadow boxing routine might have worn Le Clos out just a little bit. Phelps bested Le Clos in the semifinal heat, but both finished behind Tamas Kenderesi of Hungary, who finished first. The final takes place tomorrow night with Phelps and Le Clos in lanes 5 and 6, that’s if Phelps doesn’t delete his competition by turning them all into a puddle of goo before then.
Best of all though, we might have finally got an answer to Bob Knight’s rhetorical question.
