Thiago Pereira | Hispanically Yours

It may have been the first showdown between Americans Ryan Lochte and Michael Phelps at the 2012 Summer Olympics… But when all was said and done in men’s 400-meter individual medley final, Thiago Pereira – not Phelps – was Lochte’s closest competitor…

The 26-year-old Brazilian swimmer won the silver medal after finishing a distant second to Lochte in Saturday’s final at the London Aquatic Center, while Phelps came in a disappointing fourth.

Pereira earned a spot on the podium in part to a stellar performance in the breaststroke portion, which propelled him to move from fifth to second, leaving Phelps, eventual bronze-medalist Kosuke Hagino of Japan and South Africa’s Chad le Clos in his wake.

Lochte, who dominated the race from start to finish, touched the wall in 4:05.18, more than three seconds ahead of Pereira, who clocked in at 4:08.86.

It’s Pereira’s first Olympic medal in his third swimming final. At 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, he reached the final of the 200-meter IM, finishing in fifth place. In the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, he again reached the final of the 200-meter IM, finishing fourth.

Rigoberto Urán may have been the first Latino to take the podium at the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, but Ryan Lochte is the Latino first to strike gold.

The 27-year-old half-Cuban American swimmer captured the gold medal in the 400-meter individual medley on Saturday, while his biggest rival Michael Phelps finished fourth and failed to medal for the first time since the 2000 Summer Games in Sydney when he was just 15 years old. In the end, Brazil’s Thiago Pereira was Lochte’s closest competitor.

In his first final at the Olympics, Lochte demonstrated why he’s been considered the world’s best swimmer in the the last year. He held strong throughout the race before making his move in the backstroke and finally pulling away in the breaststroke and freestyle.

Lochte’s performance was nothing short of brilliant. And, it was a sign that a changing of the guards in swimming could be at hand.

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