Olympic Results 2012: Ryan Lochte and the Most Dominant Performances from Day 1

Ryan Lochte has finally bested Michael Phelps in swimming’s most grueling Olympic race. It took four years of dedication and preparation, but he has finally stepped out of Phelps’ shadow.

While the Lochte versus Phelps storyline is stealing the headlines in London, there were other extremely dominant performances that took place on the first day of the 2012 Olympics.

Let’s take a look at Lochte’s accomplishment and the others that truly stood out.

Ryan Lochte, USA, Men’s Swimming

Lochte did exactly what he said he was going to do in London: surpass Michael Phelps and win a gold medal.

In an interview with Today.com’s Matt Lauer on July 24, Lochte said the headline of his story in London would read: “Ryan Lochte takes over.”

After a dominant and nearly world record setting performance in the men’s 400-meter individual medley, Lochte is very close to backing up his statements about being the best in the world. He certainly isn’t content yet and resting on his current victory over Phelps and the rest of the field.

"I'll tell you this," Lochte said, according to Wayne Drehs of ESPN.com. "The next races he's (Phelps) in, he's going to light it up."

Unfortunately for Lochte, as dominant as he was on this particular day, he fell just barely short of besting his rival’s world record in the event. His time of 4:05:18 is a mere 0:01:34 off from Phelps’ record from the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Danell Leyva, USA, Men’s Gymnastics

The USA can thank Leyva for their all-around lead after the qualifying round. He dominated throughout most of the first day and helped the U.S. distance itself from the pack in the early running. Leyva’s total combined score from all events was good enough for first place with a score of 91.265.

While Leyva did not dominate in any single event, he did impress by coming in third place in the high bar competition.

Hopefully Leyva and his teammates can continue their great performances from the weekend on Monday, when the medals are on the line. He has a legitimate chance at medaling in the high bar as well as the all-around.

Ye Shiwen, China, Women’s Swimming

Not only did Shiwen win the women’s 400-meter individual medley, she blew away the competition and snatched the world record in the process.

Shiwen, 16, trailed heading into the freestyle leg, but pulled away and never looked back. She beat the existing world record set by American Stephanie Rice at the 2008 Beijing Olympics by more than one second.

How dominant was she? The runner-up, Elizabeth Beisel of the USA, clocked in nearly three seconds after her.

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