American tennis player Coco Gauff has been named the female flag bearer for Team USA at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. At 20-years-old, she is the youngest flag bearer in U.S. Olympic history, juxtaposed against the 39-year-old Lebron James who will be her partner in leading the American delegation.
James was already midway through his rookie season in the NBA when Gauff was born in 2004.
Both were nominated for the honor by their U.S. Olympic teammates.
Gauff becomes the first tennis player to ever carry the flag for the U.S> at the opening ceremony.
Paris 2024 is scheduled to be Gauff’s first Olympic participation, marking a rare moment where a major sporting nation has a debutant lead its delegation. Gauff was scheduled to compete in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at only 17 years old, but had to withdraw after testing positive for COVID-19.
Gauff is currently the #2-ranked women’s tennis player in the world behind Poland’s Iga Swiatek, who is the favorite to win gold in the women’s singles event. Gauff will also play women’s doubles with Jessica Pegula.
Gauff has 7 career singles titles and was the 2023 US Open Champion in women’s singles. In doubles, she won the 2024 French open.
Women’s singles competition in tennis begins with the round of 64 on Saturday, July 27, with doubles starting the same day in the round of 32.
Beginning in Tokyo, countries are able to select one male and one female flag-bearer for the honorary post of leading the Olympic delegation. This year’s opening ceremony will be taken by boat down the Seine through the heart of Paris.
Only two swimmers have ever carried the American flag at the opening ceremonies: Michael Phelps in his last Olympics in 2016 and Gary Hall in 1976.
Kinda surprised they didn’t select Simone Biles. Are they assuming she’s gonna be competing in 2028? If so, that’s a tough call between Ledecky and Biles.
We will never know, but I assume that Biles and Ledecky both declined.
Simone Biles carried the flag in 2016 Closing Ceremonies, gotta share the wealth!
I thought the idea with flag bearers is that it should be a decorated Olympic athlete with history and experience? And of course Gauff is an excellent tennis player and exciting; she’s just not a decorated Olympian. Or maybe that’s just been my misunderstanding. Is the only selection criteria for athletes to just vote? Or is there some discretion by the USOPC or something else?
Glad it is not a swimmer. Save those legs!!
Good for Coco and Lebron but tennis and basketball shouldn’t even be in the Olympics.
We’ve got break dancing in the Olympics, you’re picking the wrong battles.
How is it possible that Serena or Venus were never the flag bearer and Coco is going to be?
Serena and Venus are Olympic royalty in tennis. Serena has 4 or 5 medals and Venus has 5 I guess…
Not everyone wants to be the flag bearer before going into competition. If you’re doing singles and doubles, it’s a pretty intense schedule.
Have to assume that Ledecky and Biles both declined this year.
Met her in an elevator once when I was moving my kid into college in NYC during the US Open. She was so sweet as I went on and on about how proud I was of my daughter who was going to swim in college LOL! (For reference I didn’t know who she was and didn’t realize until later that day)
This is historic; I think this might be the first time that the two flag bearers for the US are a black male and black female. Can anyone confirm?
Why are people downvoting this? Shouldn’t progressive Americans be embracing diversity?
You are the only one looking at color
Lots of people on this site are not progressive
This is only the third time at the Olympics where a country has been allowed to have two flag bearers in the opening ceremony, and there were no black flag bearers for the US at either the 2022 and 2021 Olympic Games.
So it is, but it’s not that historic given the short timeline.
“James was already midway through his rookie season in the NBA when Gauff was born in 2004”
Lebron the Timelord