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Michael Phelps Did the Finger Wag After Beating Rival Chad le Clos at 2016 Rio Olympics

Don’t mess! Michael Phelps didn’t just scream and holler after beating his rival Chad le Clos at the 2016 Rio Olympics on Tuesday, August 9. The athlete also threw in a little finger wag.

Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps celebrates after winning the Men’s 200m Butterfly Final during the swimming event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 9, 2016.

Phelps, 31, beat the defending champion South African swimmer, 24, and everyone else, during the 200m butterfly event. To celebrate, he threw his arms up in the air and shook his finger back and forth at the crowd. Le Clos previously beat Phelps in the same match at the London Games in 2012.

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The win got Phelps his 20th gold medal. Later on, he earned his 21st gold after winning the men’s 4×200 meter freestyle relay with teammates Ryan Lochte, Conor Dwyer and Townley Haas.

Michael Phelps is presented with his 20th Olympic gold medal after winning the men’s 200-meter butterfly as Bronze medalist Tamás Kenderesi of Hungary (right) and Masato Sakai of Japan at Rio 2016 on Tuesday, August 9, 2016.

One day earlier, Phelps appeared annoyed at le Clos when he shadowboxed in front of Phelps before another competition. The distraction led Phelps to give a hilarious mean mug, which quickly went viral with the hashtag #PhelpsFace.

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Le Clos hasn’t been one to keep quiet about Phelps. “[Phelps] has been talking a lot of smack in the media about how slow the butterfly is, so I just can’t wait until I race him,” he previously told reporters, via Fox News. “I just did a time that he hasn’t done in four years, so he can keep quiet now.”

Michael Phelps (with Le Clos in the background) celebrates winning gold in the Men’s 200m Butterfly Final on Day 4 of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium on August 9, 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Despite the rivalry, the men hugged in the water following the 200m butterfly on Tuesday night. Phelps went on to collect his medals and got choked up on the podium as America’s national anthem, “The Star Spangled Banner,” played in the background.

Michael Phelps celebrates after he won the Men’s 200m Butterfly Final during the swimming event at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on August 9, 2016.

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American swimmer Lilly King previously waved her finger when she saw a video of Russian athlete Yulia Efimova. King called out Efimova for failing drug tests in an interview after winning the 100-meter breaststroke semifinals on Sunday.

Watch Phelps’ finger wag in the video above!

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