It was the event that he won in London in 2012 and he was among the favourites to win gold again.
After all the hype, the verbal jousting and the shadow boxing, Phelps floored Le Clos to win in a time of 1:53.36.
It was, incredibly, Phelps’ 20th gold of his career.
He led at the halfway mark and Le Clos, in the lane alongside him, trailed going into the final lap. It was the perfect position and reminiscent of four years ago.
Phelps touched the wall in 1:53.36, slower than his 2012 silver medal performance, with Japan’s Masato Sakai finishing in 1:53.40.
Le Clos, who clocked 1:52.96 for gold in 2012, could only manage a 1:54.06.
