Rio 2016: USA swim hero Michael Phelps making headlines for the right reasons

THE Russian team booed onto the pool deck, revenge for a loss to the French and a triumphant return for Michael Phelps. The Yanks would have loved this.

United States' Michael Phelps celebrates after winning the gold medal.

THE Yanks love a parade and this one had it all: the Russian team being booed as they walked out onto the pool deck, revenge for a loss to the French four years ago and, most of all, Michael Phelps.

The US men’s 4x100m relay team brought the Olympic Aquatics Stadium alive in a performance that relegated everyone else, including bronze medallists Australia, to bit-part status.

It was the Fourth of July, thanksgiving and the Super Bowl halftime show all bundled into one, and there was no question who was the star.

And why wouldn’t he be? His teammates Caeleb Dressel, Ryan Held and Nathan Adrian might be the future of US swimming, but this was Phelps’s 19th gold medal, his 23rd overall, and with a possible five more events to go over the next six days, he isn’t finished by a long shot.

From right United States' Caeleb Dressel, Michael Phelps, Ryan Held, and Nathan Adrian, celebrate after winning gold in the men's 4 x 100-meter freestyle relay.

Four years ago he retired. Two years later he announced a comeback. Now at 31 years of age he is here to enjoy his last hurrah — and right some wrongs.

There have been plenty of redemption story angles rolled out in the lead-up to these Games — the Aussies had one of their own in James Magnussen lining up in lane three — but few can boast the rap sheet that Phelps carried into the stadium.

Booze, drugs, that transgender intersex girlfriend thing … at one stage it seemed the legacy of the most successful Olympian of all time was going to be buried under an avalanche of checkout tabloid headlines.

Not anymore. The way the fans in their stars-and-stripes bike shorts and T-shirts screamed U-S-A, U-S-A as Phelps did the lap of honour and waved at his little boy Boomer up in the stand, they’ll have him back on the Weeties packet in no time.

Michael Phelps and Caeleb Dressel of the United States celebrate winning gold.

It was a crazy, emotional event from start to finish, and Phelps lapped it up, first swimming the fastest 100m of his life, and then leading the after-party.

“When I was on the block I honestly thought my heart was going to explode out of my chest, like I was so hyped tonight and so excited and to hear the stand as loud as it was, I mean that was wild,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anything as loud as that at a meet.”

It all proved too much for the two Olympic debutants Dressel and Held as they stepped up on the podium for the medal ceremony, but having been there 22 times previously, Phelps took charge.

“I told them beforehand that it’s OK to sing, and it’s OK to cry and it’s good to see the emotion out of those young guys,” he said. “It’s good to see that they care and they love what they’re doing.”

But much as Phelps was also obviously loving what he was doing on night two of Rio’s swimming meet, he is adamant he won’t be going around again.

“Nathan was asking me if I was coming back for another four years,” he said. “I said, sorry bro’ you guys got this, I’m out.”

Originally published as Rio 2016: USA swim hero Michael Phelps making headlines for the right reasons