In the home straight , Japanese swimmer Masato Sakai was breathing down Phelps ' neck .
The American touched the wall first in a time of 1min 53.36 seconds to rewrite the history books .
In the home straight , Japanese swimmer Masato Sakai was breathing down Phelps ' neck , but the American touched the wall first in a time of 1min 53.36 seconds to rewrite the history books .