Coco Gauff will wave the flag for Team USA at the 2024 Summer Olympics — literally.
The 20-year-old tennis champion has been picked as the female flagbearer during the Parade of Nations at the opening ceremony of the Paris Games on July 26 — an honor that puts her in the history books as the first U.S. tennis player to be a flagbearer for Team USA.
She’ll join NBA champ and three-time Olympic medalist LeBron James, who was chosen on July 22 to be the male flagbearer. He’s also the first men’s basketball player to carry the American flag at the opening ceremony.
The Today show was first to report of Gauff’s role, sharing exclusive video of the moment she was told and speaking with her live on Wednesday, July 24.
“I was completely shocked,” Gauff said. “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.”
Gauff added that she’s excited to meet James, a star she’s chatted with on social media but never in person.
“He DM’ed me once on Instagram with words of encouragement and congratulations but I’ve never actually met him,” she said. “I’ve seen him in person at a bunch of Miami Heat games when I was a kid, and some recent games. But I’ve never actually met him. So this is a cool circumstance to be meeting him and I guess I’ll actually get to know him a little bit.”
Flagbearers are voted on by Team USA, through a process the Team USA Athletes’ Commission manages. Like James, Gauff was nominated by a teammate — fellow 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. “I don’t think there is anyone more deserving of this honor and I’m excited to see her carry the flag as she leads our U.S. delegation in the opening ceremony.”
Gauff is the no. 2 women’s tennis player in the world. She has won seven career singles titles, including the 2023 US Open, and nine career doubles titles, including the 2024 French Open.
This will be her first Olympic games. She previously qualified for the 2021 Tokyo Games, but had to withdraw after contracting COVID-19.
James, meanwhile, will be part of Team USA for the fourth time. He won medals at his previous three outings — gold in London (2012) and Beijing (2008) and bronze in Athens (2004).
“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 Team USA.
“For a kid from Akron, this responsibility means everything to not only myself, but to my family, all the kids in my hometown, my teammates, fellow Olympians and so many people across the country with big aspirations,” he continued. “Sports have the power to bring us all together, and I’m proud to be a part of this important moment.”
Friday’s Opening Ceremony will be the first ever held outside of an arena. Instead, athletes will sail down the River Seine in boats towards the Eiffel Tower.
Per tradition, the country that hosts the next Olympics will appear second-to-last during the Parade of Nations. With the 2028 Summer Olympics being held in Los Angeles, Team USA will sail the Seine towards the end of the ceremony, just before host country France.
Basketball player Sue Bird and baseball player Eddy Alvarez hoisted the American flag during the Opening Ceremony at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo. In 2022, speed skater Brittany Bowe and curler John Shuster served as flag bearers during the Winter Games in Beijing.
Live coverage for the opening ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m. ET on Friday, July 26 on NBC.
Source people.com
