USA swimmer Anthony Ervin has described his victory in the men's 50m freestyle as "almost absurd" after he became the oldest ever Olympic champion in the pool.
The 35-year-old clinched victory in the fiercely-contested event by just one-hundredth of a second on Friday night, four years after returning to competitive action.
Ervin had previously won gold in the event in Sydney in 2000 at the age of 19, but quit the sport four years later before coming out of retirement for London 2012.
Speaking after his victory, Ervin told reporters: "I kind of laughed. It's almost absurd I was able to do it again.
"This medal means to me, the recognition, the immense gratitude for all the people that have supported me through the highs and the lows, always there for me, let me lean on them and I hope they can always lean on me if they need it."
With one day of competition left in the pool, Team USA dominate the swimming medals table with a haul of 29, including 14 golds, six silvers and nine bronze.
Neil Wilkes
