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Team USA announced Thursday that gold medalists Katie Ledecky, a swimmer, and Nick Mead, a rower, will carry the flag at the upcoming closing ceremonies.
Ledecky’s performance at the 2024 Games was phenomenal. She won four medals: two gold, one silver, and one bronze. Both gold medals came in individual events: the 1500m, in which she set a new Olympic record and finished so far ahead of her competitors that you could see them swimming in the background as she did her post-race interview; and the 800m, in which she won her fourth consecutive gold medal.
Oh, there’s more. Her new Olympic medal count is 14: nine golds, four silvers, and one bronze. She is now the most decorated female Olympic swimmer of all time, has more Olympic gold medals than any other female swimmer in history, and has tied Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most gold medals by a female Olympian ever.
Ledecky was emotional when her teammate told her she had been chosen as Team USA’s flag bearer.
Nick Mead is a second-time Olympian who recently won his first gold medal in the coxless four-wheeler race. It was the first gold medal for Team USA in that race in 64 years. Mead was also excited to hear the news, but wants to make sure he looks presentable while performing such an honor on a worldwide broadcast.
“Try to represent rowing the best you can,” Mead said of the news, via today.com. “I think the first step is get a haircut.”
Nick Mead made history as a member of the first U.S. four-man rowing team to win Olympic gold since 1960.
Now he’ll make even more history as the first rower to lead Team USA as one of our flag bearers during the closing ceremonies. 🇺🇸#Olympic Games in Paris photo.twitter.com/4cBLXz4s6T
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 8, 2024
Ledecky and Mead will be the end-of-Games counterparts to No. 2 tennis player Coco Gauff and NBA star LeBron James, who carried the flags at the opening ceremony. Gauff failed to medal in any of her three tennis events, but James is expected to win a gold medal as part of Team USA’s stacked men’s basketball team.
