Formidable Phelps leaves fans high and dry

To the astonishment of fans, American swimmer Ryan Lochte made the biggest splash of the London Games so far by obliterating his compatriot Michael Phelps, the greatest swimmer in Olympic history, in the first of their eagerly awaited duels. Phelps, unthinkably, finished without a medal in the 400 metres individual medley, to the amazement of those watching, torn between celebrating a US win with Lochte, and the shock of watching Phelps not even make it onto the podium.