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Team USA announced Thursday that gold medal winners Katie Ledecky, a swimmer, and Nick Mead, a rower, will carry the flag at the upcoming closing ceremony.
Ledecky’s achievements at the 2024 Games have been phenomenal. She won four medals: two gold, one silver and one bronze. Both of her golds came in individual events: the 1500m, in which she set a new Olympic record and finished so far ahead of her competitors that they could be seen swimming in the background as she did her post-race interview; and the 800m, in which she won her fourth consecutive gold medal.
But there is more. Her new career Olympic medal tally stands at 14: nine golds, four silvers and one bronze. She is now the most decorated Olympic swimmer of all time, holding more Olympic gold medals than any other swimmer in history and tying Soviet gymnast Larisa Latynina for the most golds by a female Olympian of all time.
Ledecky was emotional when teammate Robert Finke told her she had been chosen as Team USA’s flag bearer.
Nick Mead is making his second Olympic debut and recently won his first gold medal in the coxless four-man race. It was Team USA’s first gold medal in that event in 64 years. Mead was also thrilled by the news, but wants to make sure he looks presentable while carrying out such an honor on a global broadcast.
“He’s trying to represent rowing as best as he can,” Mead said of the news via today.com. “I think the first step is to get a haircut.”
Nick Mead made history as a member of the first U.S. men’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 at the Closing Ceremony. #ParisOlympics image.twitter.com/4cBLXz4s6T
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 8, 2024
Ledecky and Mead are the late-Games counterparts to No. 2-ranked tennis player Coco Gauff and NBA legend LeBron James, who carried the flags at the opening ceremony. Gauff failed to win a medal in any of her three tennis events, but James is expected to win a gold medal as part of Team USA’s stacked roster of men’s basketball players.
