The men's 400 IM is now in the books at the 2012 Olympics, and it wasn't quite the showdown that swimming enthusiasts were hoping it would be. Ryan Lochte took home the gold medal (4:05.18), as anticipated, but Michael Phelps didn't put up too much of a fight, finishing fourth (4:09.28) in the event, and failing to earn a medal.

Phelps barely qualified for the event earlier on Saturday morning. Had Phelps been .08 seconds slower, he would not have qualified for the main event.

Thiago Pereira of Brazil finished in second place to earn a silver medal (4:08.86), while Kosuke Hagino of Japan earned the bronze medal (4:08.94 ).

The race was a blowout, as Lochte won by over three seconds over Pereira. Hagino finished 34-hundreths of a second ahead of Phelps to earn the bronze.

Phelps will have plenty more opportunities to add to his career medal count, but this is certainly an ominous start for the University of Michigan product.

For a complete medal breakdown, visit Sports Illustrated's Medal Tracker.

For the latest on the 2012 Olympics, be sure to check out SB Nation's dedicated Olympic hub.