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American tennis star Coco Gauff was named flag bearer for the US Olympic team at the Summer Games opening ceremony in Paris. The US Open 2023 winner joins basketball legend LeBron James, who was named the male flagbearer for the ceremony.
Gauff becomes the f irst tennis player to be selected as the Opening ceremonies flag bearer, an honour voted on by fellow Olympic athletes and team captains. The 20-year-old will be the third Black woman to wave the American flag at a Summer Olympics opening ceremony after track and field athlete Evelyn Ashford in Seoul in 1988 and basketball great Dawn Staley in Athens in 2004.
Gauff left in shock after being named USA’s female flagbearer for opening ceremony
This news was broken to the 20-year-old Tennis by her US Tennis teammate Chris Eubanks who presented Gauff the flag bearer's jacket and confirmed that she would join LeBron James in holding the American flag at the 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland spoke about naming Coco Gauff as the female flag bearer for Team USA. In a statement, she said, "We are proud to announce Coco Gauff has been selected to join LeBron James as the flag bearers for Team USA at the Opening Ceremony."
"To be nominated by your teammates for this honour speaks volumes about the way in which Coco approaches her sport and her role as a member of Team USA. I’m thrilled for her to start her Olympic journey here in Paris and, with LeBron, to lead Team USA and inspire fans around the United States and the world on Friday night."
