Prior to their 200-meter butterfly Olympics semifinals in Rio, US Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps wore his “intense game face” directed at South African swimming rival Chad le Clos.
Cloaked in a hooded jacket and headphones, the 23-time Olympic medal winner gave Le Clos a nasty stare while the latter was dancing and beat-boxing in front of him inside a dressing room on Monday.
The “meme-worthy” snap made rounds on social media. Many Twitter users likened the photo to unavoidable life moments and fictional characters such as Darth Vader.
https://twitter.com/dukebaby401/status/762841301255454720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
The pool “rivalry” fired up when Le Clos, 24, ousted 31-year-old Phelps by five-hundredths of a second and won gold in the 200-meter butterfly held at the 2012 Summer Games in London, TIME and Daily Mail reported.
Both gentlemen were defeated by their Hungarian rival, Tamás Kenderesi, for the top qualifying spot. Phelps was ranked second during the event and will advance to the finals on Tuesday. Gianna Francesca Catolico