Michael Phelps becomes most decorated Olympian after 15th gold

The American swimmer was met with raucous applause as he led the US home to victory in the final leg of the men’s 4x200metres freestyle relay, taking his personal medal tally to 19.

 It helped him overcome his earlier frustration at coming second in the 200m butterfly final behind South Africa’s Chad Le Clos.

 Phelps led the race with 15m to go but threw away a winning position in a thrilling finish. But there was never any danger of that in the relay as the US won at a canter from second-placed France and China in third.

 Britain’s men finished sixth. ‘I thanked [my team-mates] for helping get to this moment,’ Phelps said. ‘I told those guys I wanted a big lead in the last leg and they gave it to me.

 I just wanted to hold on, I just wanted to thank them for allowing me to have this moment.’ Chinese teenager Ye Shiwen has been the subject of whispers over the world-record time she set to win the women’s 400m individual medley at the weekend.

 And she took another gold as she set an Olympic record in the 200m IM, with Britain’s Hannah Miley seventh. Portsmouth’s Caitlin McClatchey was also seventh in the 200m freestyle final, a race won by the USA’s Allison Schmitt in an Olympic-record time.

 Michael Jamieson broke the British record twice on his way to the 200m breaststroke final. The Scot beat the mark set by Kris Gilchrist at the 2008 Games.

 He then bettered that in the evening, touching in two minutes 8.20 seconds to qualify fastest for Wednesday's final.

 Andrew Willis qualified third fastest in a new English-record time of 2:08.47. Britain’s Jemma Lowe also made it through to the women’s 200m butterfly final.

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