Tennis ace Coco Gauff has been selected as one of two flag bearers for Team USA’s Olympic team ahead of Friday’s opening ceremony in Paris.
Gauff, who crashed out of Wimbledon earlier this month, is the reigning US Open champion and set to make her debut for the Olympic team. She will be the first tennis player to carry the US flag at the opening ceremony.
The world number two ranked women’s tennis player will represent the star-spangled banner alongside basketball star LeBron James as they prepare to sail down a 3.7 mile stretch of the Parisian river Seine, ending at the Eiffel Tower.
The 20-year-old athlete will become the youngest American to ever hold the honor.
“I was completely shocked,” Gauff told NBC’s The Today Show. “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,” she added.
Flag bearers are selected by vote from fellow Team USA athletes, with Gauff nominated by tennis star and close 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.
Gauff was set to make her Olympic debut at the Tokyo Games in 2021 as a teenager, but was forced to pull out after contracting Covid-19 five days before flying to Japan.
She is now vying to uphold the legacy of “friend and mentor” Serena Williams, who has won a staggering four Olympic gold medals.
It follows LeBron James being selected by first-time Olympian Stephen Curry on Monday.
The 39-year-old Los Angeles Lakers star becomes the third basketball player picked to undertake flag bearing duties.
“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 USA Basketball.
“Sports have the power to bring us all together, and I’m proud to be a part of this important moment.”
Each country – and it’s athletes – will be introduced to the opening cermeony in alphabetical order. Two designated flag bearers will leading the parade, with the Paris Games the second Olympics in which each nation will have one male, one female flag bearer.
Between 6000 and 7000 athletes are expected to attend the ceremony which is due to kick off at approximately 1.30pm ET. Up to half a million people are set to watch from the banks of the river Seine with tickets being sold for up to $2,900.