Michael Phelps of U.S. reacts after men’s 200m individual medley final of swimming, at London 2012 Olympic Games in London, Britain, August 2, 2012. Michael Phelps of U.S. won gold medal. (Xinhua/Liu Dawei)

LONDON -- Michael Phelps' Olympic legend grew even greater as he defeated Ryan Lochte to win the gold medal in the men's 200 meter medley on Thursday.

Phelps' win means he has now won an incredible total of 20 Olympic medals, of which 16 are gold medals.

It had been billed as one of the showdowns of the London Olympic Games as Ryan Lochte took on Phelps in the final of the men's 20 meter medley.

Lochte had already got the better of Phelps in the 400 meter final, taking gold, while Phelps finished in fourth place, a result which led some to wonder, whether the 27-year-old, who is in his last major competition, was finished.

Since that drama last Saturday night, a lot of Olympic history had happened. Phelps claimed his 18th and 19th medals to lay claim to being the greatest Olympian of all time, while Lochte went into the pool with having added a 4x200 freestyle gold, which he shared with Phelps to his name, as well as the bronze he won in the 200 meters backstroke.

That backstroke medal was taken just 33 minutes before he and Phelps took to the start of the 200 meter medley and there was clearly a question mark over how much the effort would affect him, especially given with Beijing silver medalist and European Champion Laszlo Cseh, who had qualified with a faster time than Phelps, also in the race along with Thiago Pereira, who claimed silver in the 400.

Phelps led from the start in his favorite butterfly as Lochte, perhaps tired from his exertions in the backstroke was unable to keep pace.

Pereira was also swimming strongly and for a moment, he threatened Lochte in second place, but a powerful final lap from Cseh saw him climb into the bronze medal position after what have been a slightly disappointing Olympics for him.

But the race was all about Phelps and it is likely that the noise in the Aquatic arena has not been as loud all Games as when he swam his final meters.

The fact is that in every race he is swimming at the moment Phelps is writing another chapter in his own Olympic story.