First he climbed out of the Olympic pool. For the last time. Now, with tears in his eyes and his teammates by his side, Michael Phelps has stepped to the top of the Olympic podium one more time. For the last time.

Phelps hopped up on the podium with teammates Nathan Adrian, Brendan Hansen and Matt Grevers, then clasped hands and raised their arms in celebration of their 4x100 medley relay gold medals.

It's the 18th gold medal for Phelps, who is calling it an Olympic career. He smiled while holding back tears as "The Star Spangled Banner" played at the Aquatic Center. Then he posed with the medal and an American flag before taking one last victory lap.

He tossed his flowers up to his mother, who dropped them on the first try. It's about the only thing that has gone wrong for Phelps on his final night at the pool.

— Jon Krawczynski — Twitter http://www.twitter.com/APKrawczynski

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EDITOR'S NOTE — "Eyes on London" shows you the Olympics through the eyes of Associated Press journalists across the 2012 Olympic city and around the world. Follow them on Twitter where available with the handles listed after each item.