Coco Gauff picked as Team USA flag bearer joining LeBron James at Olympics opening ceremony
Tennis ace Coco Gauff has been selected as one of the two flag bearers for Team USA‘s Olympic team ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony in Paris.
Gauff, who recently crashed out of Wimbledon, is the reigning US Open champion and set to make her debut for the Olympic team. She will be the first tennis player to carry the US flag at the opening ceremony.
The world number two ranked women’s tennis player will represent the star-spangled banner alongside basketball star LeBron James as they sail down a 3.7 mile stretch of the Parisian river Seine ending at the Eiffel Tower.
The 20-year-old athlete has becoming the youngest American to ever to hold the honor. Gauff was set to make her Olympic debut at he Tokyo Games in 2021 as a teenager, but was forced to pull out after contracting Covid-19 before her flight to Japan.
“I was completely shocked,” Gauff told The Today Show. “I never would have crossed my mind. I have no words, honestly.”
“It made me cry. I didn’t want to cry in front of my teammates… but when I called my mom, I started crying. I think it’s even more special – even now I get emotional thinking about it – that so many incredible people just think that I’m worth of this. It means a lot, truly,” she added.
Flagbearers are selected by vote from fellow Team USA athletes, with Gauff nominated by tennis star and friend Chris Eubanks.
“I’m incredibly proud of Coco – I know how great she is as a tennis player, but more importantly, how great she is as a person,” Eubanks said in a statement.
It follows LeBron James being selected by first-time Olympian Stephen Curry on Monday. The 39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star becomes the third basketball player picked to undertake flagbearing duties.
“It’s an incredible honor to represent the United States on this global stage, especially in a moment that can bring the whole world together,” James said in a statement shared by USA Basketball.
“Sports have the power to bring us all together, and I’m proud to be a part of this important moment.”
Each country – and it’s athletes – will be introduced to the opening cermeony in alphabetical order. Two designated flagbearers will leading the parade, with the Paris Games the second in which each nation will have one male, one female flagbearer.
Between 6000 and 7000 athlest are expected to sail down the a 3.7 mile stretch of the river Seine on a three and a half hour jounrey. Up to half a million people are due to watch the ceremony with tickets being sold for up to $2,900.
This is a breaking story. More to follow
