Michael Phelps selected as Team USA Olympic flag bearer

When the United States Olympic team gets its moment in the Rio sun at the Olympic Opening Ceremony on Friday, it will be led by the most decorated Olympian of all time.

 

Teammates selected Michael Phelps as the nation’s flag bearer for the Aug. 5 ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, Team USA announced Wednesday morning. Phelps, a five-time Olympian, has never walked at the Opening Ceremony before. But he will at his likely final go-around.

Phelps never participated in previous ceremonies because they conflicted with his preparation for the 400 IM. Phelps will not swim that event in Rio and his first individual event (200m butterfly) isn’t until Monday, Aug. 8. (Phelps also qualified for the 200m IM on Aug. 10 and 100m butterfly on Aug. 11).

	Philip Hersh @olyphil
@MichaelPhelps always skipped ceremony in 4 other OG because he had "decathlon of his sport" 400 IM day after ceremony. Too much standing. 9:41 AM - 3 Aug 2016

“I’m honored to be chosen, proud to represent the U.S., and humbled by the significance of carrying the flag and all it stands for,” Phelps said in a press release. “For Sydney, I just wanted to make the team. For Athens, I wanted to win gold for my country. For Beijing, I wanted to do something nobody else had done. In London, I wanted to make history. And now, I want to walk in the Opening Ceremony, take it all in, represent America in the best possible way and make my family proud. This time around, it’s about so much more than medals.”

	Michael Phelps @MichaelPhelps
I am honored to lead #teamusa into opening ceremonies!! #flagbearer #usa #rio2016 instagram.com/p/BIppXtvg2OH/ 7:57 AM - 3 Aug 2016

At the age of 15, Phelps became the youngest swimmer to make the U.S. Olympic team when he qualified for the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Since then, he set the record for most gold medals at an Olympic Games, capturing eight in Beijing in 2008. His six medals at the 2012 London Olympics brought his record total to 22, including 18 golds, making him the most decorated Olympian ever.

London was supposed to be Phelps’ swan song, but he came out of retirement two years later, and then qualified in three individual events for Rio, becoming the first American male swimmer to qualify for five straight Olympic Games. So, yeah, you could say he’s earned his role as flag bearer.

Phelps is only the second American swimmer chosen for the honor. Gary Hall Sr. carried the flag at the start of the 1972 Munich Games.

Here’s the complete list of U.S. flag bearers since 1908:

1908 Ralph Rose, Track and Field
1912 George Bonhag, Track and Field
1920 Patrick McDonald, Track and Field
1924 Patrick McDonald, Track and Field
1928 Lemuel (Bud) Houser, Track and Field
1932 F. Morgan Taylor, Track and Field
1936 Alfred Jochim, Gymnastics
1948 Ralph Craig, Yachting
1952 Norman Armitage, Fencing
1956 Norman Armitage, Fencing; Warren Wooford, Equestrian
1960 Rafer Johnson, Track and Field
1964 William Parry O’Brien, Track and Field
1968 Janice Lee Romary, Fencing
1972 Olga Fikotova Connolly, Track and Field
1976 Gary Hall, Swimming
1980 U.S. did not attend
1984 Edward Burke, Track and Field
1988 Evelyn Ashford, Track and Field
1992 Francie Larrieu Smith, Track and Field
1996 Bruce Baumgartner, Wrestling
2000 Cliff Meidl, Canoe/Kayak
2004 Dawn Staley, Basketball
2008 Lopez Lomong, Track and Field
2012 Mariel Zagunis, Fencing
2016 Michael Phelps, Swimming

The Opening Ceremony begins at 7 p.m. EST (8 p.m. Rio de Janeiro time) on Friday. NBC will air the ceremony on delay at 8 p.m. in the Eastern time zone, 7 p.m. in the Central and Mountain time zones, and 8 p.m. in the Western time zone.