On Thursday night, Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte competed against each other in what is almost certainly the last time in the Olympics with Phelps winning the gold in the 200-meter IM.
While much has been made of the rivalry over the years, it seems that the two elder statesmen of the swimming team — Phelps is 31 and Lochte is 32 — have become friends in the twilight of their careers.
We got a glimpse at that newfound friendship in an Instagram photo taken the night before their big race, after the pair competed in the 200 semifinals. The two swimmers gleefully posed for a photo while laying in ice baths and pounding a huge plate of what appears to be spaghetti. This is the type of photo only friends pose for and it’s great.
Phelps explained his post-race recovery routine earlier in the Olympics.
“I tried to do as much as I could, get my lactate cleared, had a massage, had an ice bath, eat,” Phelps said after winning gold in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay. “I think I had a pound of spaghetti, and I am not a spaghetti fan. I forced myself to eat it.”
Well it seems like eating the spaghetti is easier with good company.
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