LONDON – Michael Phelps became the most decorated Olympian of all time Tuesday night, anchoring the United States’ 800-meter freestyle relay team to a thunderous victory at the London Aquatics Centre.


The medal was the 15th gold, and the 19th over all, of Phelps’s unmatched Olympic career. That pushed him past the longtime holder of the mark, the former Russian gymnast Larisa Latynina.


Phelps and his teammates – Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Ricky Berens — beat France’s team by more than three seconds, burying the rest of the field. China won the bronze, but the race was never close, and that allowed Phelps to coast home.


He touched the wall, then spat a stream of water in the air. Resting on a lane rope, he shook hands with his teammates and members of the other relay teams who came over to offer their hands. Once he got out of the pool, he huddled with his teammates, thanking them for giving him the moment.


About a half-hour earlier, Phelps had tied Latynina’s record with his 18th medal, but he hardly seemed happy about it. He was touched out by Chad Le Clos of South Africa at the finish of the 200-meter butterfly final, denying him a third straight gold medal in the event.


Phelps had led comfortably in that race’s first 100 but was slowly reeled in by Le Clos after the final turn. Phelps appeared to have the race won but glided in as Le Clos took a last stroke. Le Clos’s winning time of 1 minute 52.96 seconds, was a fraction faster than Phelps’s 1:53.01.


Both swimmers turned to look at the scoreboard after the finish. Seeing they were separated by only five-hundredths of a second, Le Clos threw a roundhouse right hand across the water in celebration. Phelps threw the outer of his two swim caps back up his lane in anger.


Phelps emerged for the medals ceremony about 15 minutes later ahead of Le Clos and with a smile on his face, and he flashed another and waved to the crowd when he was announced as the silver medalist. But in his spare moments he stretched his legs and arms for the relay to come, seemingly eager to get back in the water and atone for his narrow defeat.


Ye Wins Another Gold


Another race, another record, another gold for Ye Shiwen.


Ye, the 16-year-old from China who broke a world record in winning the 400 individual medley Saturday, broke her own Olympic mark when she won the 200 I.M. Tuesday.


Ye finished in 2 minutes 7.57 seconds, nearly a second faster than the Olympic mark she had set in the semifinals. Alicia Coutts of Australia won the silver, and the American Caitlyn Leverenz the bronze (2:08.95).


Stephanie Rice, the defending Olympic champion from Australia, was fourth.


Schmitt Turns Tables on Muffat


Allison Schmitt set an Olympic record in winning the gold medal in the 200 freestyle at the London Olympics, thrashing a deep field that included the previous record-holder, the defending gold medalist, the fastest qualifier and her teammate Missy Franklin.


Schmitt won in a time of 1 minute 53.61 seconds. Camille Muffat of France, who had set an Olympic record in qualifying, took the silver in 1:55.58, and Bronte Barrett of Australia, the top qualifier, the bronze (1:55.81).


Muffat won the gold in the 400 freestyle Sunday, setting an Olympic record, and beating Schmitt into second. She and Schmitt were beaten by Barrett in the semifinals of the 200 free.


Missy Franklin was fourth, failing to add a third medal in her third final at these Games. Franklin raced in Lane 8 because she had qualified only eighth Monday night, about 20 minutes before she dived back in the pool and won the gold in the 100 backstroke.


Federica Pellegrini of Italy, who won the 200 gold in Beijing and the silver in Sydney in the event in 2004, was fifth. Pellegrini has had a forgettable Olympics; she also finished fifth in the 400 freestyle.