Frenemies Face-Off At The Olympics

Yesterday was the battle of the friends. In both swimming and gymnastics, the competition seemed to come down to teammate vs. teammate rather than country vs. country.
 

Michael Phelps, god and king of all things swimming related, faced one of his hardest foes, his friend Ryan Lochte, in the 200-meter individual medley. Even with five gold medals in the bag, Phelps’ victory was not assured. However, Lochte, who had won a gold medal in the backstroke only 31 minutes earlier, just couldn’t do it, coming in at bronze.
 

In the women’s gymnastics all-around, the showdown was between friends Shawn Johnson and Nastia Liukin. The Chinese and their (potentially) underage pixies were momentarily forgotten as these gymnastic sensations, who room together at the Games, took on the vault, the uneven bars, the balance beam and the floor.
 

Although reigning world champion Johnson had won almost every matchup in the last few years, Liukin edged out her competition to take the gold. But then again, Liukin has it in her blood. Her parents, Valeri and Anna Liukin, were both Olympic gymnasts so the younger Liukin can thank her lucky genes. And for the 16-year-old powerhouse Johnson, there’s always 2012.
 

If nothing else, these two pairs of frenemies prove that even if you want each other’s blood in the game, you can have each other’s back everywhere else.