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Phelps eases into first practice session in Rio

Xinhua, August 3, 2016 Adjust font size:

Michael Phelps eased into practice in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday as he prepares to add a final glorious chapter to his glittering career.

The 31-year-old joined his U.S. teammates in their first training session at the Olympic Aquatics Centre on Tuesday afternoon, just hours after arriving in the city for the August 5-21 Games.

After a short stint in the warmup pool, Phelps moved to the main competition venue, starting with freestyle before switching to backstroke and breaststroke.

He dedicated just a few laps of the 50-minute session to butterfly, his only individual event in Rio.

Phelps is the most successful Olympian of all time, having won 22 medals - 18 of them gold.

In Rio, he will compete in the 100m and 200m butterfly and 200m individual medley. He is also expected to be a part of the U.S. relay teams.

In addition to adding to his Olympic medal tally, Phelps is aiming to become only the third athlete to win gold in the same event at four consecutive Olympics, joining Al Oerter (discus) and Carl Lewis (long jump). He could achieve the feat in both the 100m butterfly and 200m individual medley. Endit