Though it wasn't quite the showdown it was supposed to be, the men's 400 IM is now in the books at the 2012 Olympic Games. Ryan Lochte blew out the entire field, winning the gold medal by over three seconds with a time of 4:05.18.
Brazil's Thiago Pereira finished in second place to earn the silver medal with a time of 4:08.86, while Japan's Kosuke Hagino earned the bronze medal with a time of 4:08.94.
Michael Phelps finished a disappointing fourth, losing to Lochte by over four seconds. Phelps' official time was 4:09.28.
While the loss is certainly disappointing for Phelps, he'll have plenty more opportunities to add to his medal count throughout the 2012 Olympic Games.
The gold medal captured by Lochte was the first gold medal captured by the United States of America at the 2012 Olympic Games. It's certainly the first of many for the United States.
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