Rio Olympics: Michael Phelps, 10 Others to Represent Maryland

Michael Phelps will carry the United States flag with 10 Marylanders by his side during the Olympics Opening Ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

The most decorated Olympian of all time will carry the United States flag on Friday, not only for his country, but the city of Baltimore. He also is not the only Maryland athlete that will compete in the Rio Olympics.

Michael Phelps, who has won 18 gold medals and 22 medals total in his career, was voted by the rest of Team USA athletes to carry the flag during what he says will be his final Olympics.

He made his Olympics debut in 2000 at 15, the youngest male Olympian since 1932. He won a record eight gold medals in 2008, and continued to breaks records in 2012. He is now the first American male swimmer to qualify for five Olympic Games.

Phelps had this to say when chosen by his teammates to be the country’s flag bearer:

“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.”

Joining Phelps in Rio for these Olympics is 10 other athletes from a wide range of sports. Phelps gets all the attention, but Jake Conger, a Rockville native, and Chase Kalisz, from Bel Air, are also members of the men’s swimming team. Bethesda’s own Katie Ledecky will swim for the women’s team.

Helen Maroulis (Rocky Point/wrestling), Angel McCoughtry (Baltimore/basketball), Joe Morris (Annapolis/sailing), Ashley Nee (Darnestown/canoe), Aaron Russell (Ellicott City/indoor volleyball), Kyle Snyder (Woodbine/wrestling) and Katie Zaferes (Hampstead/triathlon) are the rest of the Marylanders who will represent our state during these Olympics.

The 2016 Olympic Games will take place from Aug. 5-21 in Brazil, the first South American nation to hold the event. There is plenty of controversy as crime, disease and corruption have been the headlines leading up to these Olympics.

We wish our fellow Marylanders and the rest of Team USA the best as they bring home the gold! USA ALL THE WAY!