Michael Phelps to Carry U.S. Flag For Opening Ceremony

BY ESPN

Swimmer Michael Phelps, the all-time leader in career Olympic medals with 22, will carry the United States flag for the Opening Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro, the USOC announced Wednesday.

Phelps, who has won 18 gold medals, was chosen for the honor in a vote of Team USA athletes. It will be his fifth Olympics since making his debut at the 2000 Games in Sydney, Australia.

"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. "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."

Phelps retired after the London Games and made a series of missteps in his personal life, including a second drunken-driving arrest in 2014. Since then, however, the 31-year-old went through six weeks of inpatient therapy, gave up alcohol, reconnected with his estranged father, got engaged and became a father for the first time with the birth of his son, Boomer.

He reversed his decision to retire, but insists this will be his final Olympics. Phelps will compete in three individual events in Rio and could be a member of all three relay teams, giving him a good chance to take his already-staggering medal haul even higher.

U.S. Women's Soccer Beats New Zealand

Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan scored a goal in each half, and the U.S. women's soccer team began its pursuit of a fourth straight Olympic gold medal by defeating New Zealand 2-0 in its debut at the Rio Games on Wednesday.

Lloyd put the Americans ahead with a header in the ninth minute, and Morgan added to the lead with a low shot from inside the area less than a minute into the second half at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte.

"That was the best way we could have started," said Tobin Heath, who made the cross that led to Lloyd's goal. "We came out with a lot of energy and a lot of determination. I think in that regards we put our best foot forward and got that goal and I think that helped propel us throughout the game."

The U.S. dominated from the start to earn the convincing victory and remain unbeaten in 2016, with 14 shutouts and only one draw in 16 games.