Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Miller shares in Phelps’ gold medal mania
Vegas breaststroker part of star’s victorious finale
RIO DE JANEIRO — Michael Phelps closed out the Rio Olympics in the only way imaginable. Golden. Phelps put the United States ahead to stay on the butterfly leg of the 4x100-meter medley relay, and Nathan Adrian finished it off, giving the most decorated athlete in Olympic history his 23rd career gold medal Saturday night.
If that was the end, and Phelps insists it is, what a way to go out. He has 28 medals overall, having won five golds and a silver at these games.
“This is how I wanted to finish my career,” Phelps said. “Getting off the bus walking into the pool tonight, I pretty much felt myself starting to cry. Last time putting on a suit, last time walking out in front of thousands of people representing my country.”
As Adrian touched the wall to finish the victory in an Olympic record time of 3:27.95, Phelps gathered the other relay swimmers — Ryan Murphy and Las Vegas resident Cody Miller — in his arms. One night after Phelps’ only setback in Rio, an upset loss to 21-year-old Joseph Schooling in the 100 fly, he was back on top.
In the stands, his fiancee, Nicole Johnson, bounced to the music with their son, 3-month-old Boomer, cradled in her arms. Phelps, 31, is eager to spend a lot more time with them. He plans to
marry Johnson after the Olympics and said he wants to watch his son grow, maybe even dole out a swimming lesson or two.
Miller, a Palo Verde High School graduate who won bronze in the 100-meter breaststroke last Sunday, swam the breaststroke leg for the U.S.
He entered the water after Murphy began the race with a world-record 51.85 split in the backstroke. Miller was in second when he handed the race to Phelps after a 59.03 split because Adam Peaty of Great Britain swam a world-record 56.59 split.
Phelps put the U.S. back ahead in the butterfly, and Adrian closed it out in the freestyle, giving Miller the first Olympic gold medal of his career.
Phelps was elected a team captain for the first time in his career — this was his fifth Olympics — and truly seemed to enjoy being around his fellow swimmers. He was still the same ruthless competitor, but was also willing to join in when some of his younger teammates made a carpool karaoke video at their final training camp in Atlanta. He took a starring role, in fact. “Being Michael requires such isolation,” Anthony Ervin said. “Other people respect that. They give him that space because he is the greatest. But this time around he started reaching out, reaching out to other people, bringing them closer, letting that gap be bridged. That was special.”
Standing atop the medal podium for the 23rd time, listening the “The Star-Spangled Banner” as he’s done so many times before, Phelps teared up a bit and gave a little nod.
Then he and his teammates grabbed a sign that said, “Thank You Rio.”
The U.S. team won 33 swimming medals in Rio, matching the highest total since the boycotted Los Angeles Games in 1984. The U.S. also won 33 medals at Sydney in 2000.