The summer’s Olympic hero, eight-time gold-medal winner Michael Phelps, just became NBC’s fall hero as well.

The Phelps-hosted season opener of “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend drew the long-running sketch show’s biggest premiere audience in seven years, and its best overall audience since 2002.

The show averaged a 7.4 metered-market household rating and 18 share, according to Nielsen. New Orleans was excluded and Houston is subject to revision because of the recent hurricanes there.

It marked the program’s best bow since a 7.6/18 on Sept. 29, 2001, when Reese Witherspoon hosted the opener and Alicia Keys was the musical guest. That was also the first episode since the Sept. 11 attacks and featured an appearance by then-New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani.

It was the best showing for any “SNL” episode since Al Gore hosted the Dec. 14, 2002, episode, which drew a 7.5/17.

This year’s premiere jumped 64 percent over last year’s season bow, which averaged a 4.5/11.

Undoubtedly Phelps, who helped drive NBC’s Olympics coverage to huge ratings gains over the past two Games, was a big part of that draw. The swimmer made his acting debut in the show, but he’s been rather ubiquitous in show business the past few weeks.

He has made late-night appearances as well as presented an award on MTV’s “Video Music Awards” and taped a cameo airing later this season on HBO’s “Entourage.”

But in addition to Phelps, the presidential campaign likely gave “SNL” a boost, too. Word leaked Friday that Tina Fey, who hosted “Weekend Update” before moving to “30 Rock” three seasons ago, would be playing Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, whose looks have been compared to Fey since she was added to the ticket several weeks ago.

Fey teamed with former “Update” partner Amy Poehler, playing Hillary Clinton, for a biting opening skit on sexism in this campaign.

Anything having to do with Palin has been a big ratings draw this election. Her Republican National Convention speech drew 37.2 million total viewers, and her first sit-down interview, airing on ABC News last week, boosted the program to its best numbers since February.

Barack Obama was also scheduled to appear on “SNL,” but he pulled out after Hurricane Ike devastated Texas, saying the appearance would be inappropriate under the circumstances.