Carrying the Stars & Stripes

As we get ready for a one-of-a-kind Olympic Opening Ceremony down the Seine that promises to be spectacular on Friday, I'm still curious how the Parade of Nations is going to work.  All I've heard is that the athletes will be on a flotilla of boats traveling down the river before the formal portion of the ceremony takes place in front of the Eiffel Tower.  Nations have been announcing their flagbearers, though, which leads me to believe there will still be some sort of procession (I'm guessing it'll be into the "stadium" as they get off the boats).

And, unlike in Tokyo, countries can pick pretty much anybody to carry the flag.  With the COVID restrictions in place at the last Olympics, athletes were only allowed to arrive a few days before their event, which meant anybody whose competition wasn't until the second week couldn't even attend the Opening Ceremony!  That, fortunately, will not be the case this time (although, it'll be tough to pick a surfer since their competition is in Tahiti).  The selections aren't limited to those competing in the first few days.  Countries can choose anyone they want this time.

The United States has not yet announced the man and woman who'll have that honor.  It's obviously coming pretty soon, though.  On a team of nearly 600 athletes, there are plenty of candidates, although some are more realistic choices than others.  Here are five men and five women who I think should be in contention:

Brady Ellison, Archery: Fun fact: I watched Brady Ellison win silver at the Pan Am Games nine years ago while sitting behind his mom and grandma.  That's not why I think he should be in the mix to carry the flag, though.  He's the only man on the U.S. archery team, and Paris is his fifth Olympics.  Ellison has won three Olympic medals, including an individual bronze in Rio.

Steffen Peters, Equestrian: Steffen Peters will be 60 years old later this year.  His first Olympics was 28 years ago in Atlanta.  He won a bronze in team dressage there, then another in the same event 20 years later in Rio.  In Tokyo, the U.S. took silver, his third Olympic medal in team dressage.  These are his fifth Games.

Gerek Meinhardt, Fencing: Fencer Mariel Zagunis was the U.S. flagbearer the last time the Olympics were in Europe 12 years ago.  That was the second Olympics for Gerek Meinhardt.  The Paris Games will be his fifth.  He was just 18 when he made his Olympic debut in Beijing.  Now he's one of the senior members of the U.S. fencing team.  Meinhardt has two bronze medals in the men's foil team event from the Rio and Tokyo Games.

Vincent Hancock, Shooting: A three-time Olympic champion, he became the first skeet shooter to win back-to-back gold medals in 2008 and 2012.  He finished 15th in Rio, then made it three career Olympic golds in Tokyo.  This is his fifth trip to the Olympics.  He's won gold in three of the previous four.  Shooters don't often get the spotlight, so that's mostly gone unnoticed.  So why not give him some of the love he richly deserves by selecting him for the honor?

Ryan Crouser, Track & Field: There are a lot of members of the Olympic track & field team.  Any number of them have the stories, either actual or potential, that would make them worthy flagbearers.  But I'm going with Ryan Crouser, and just because he's the biggest (6'7, 320 lbs).  Crouser's won back-to-back golds in the shot put, setting the Olympic record in Tokyo (after breaking the world record at Trials) in honor of his grandfather, who had passed away earlier that year.  He's also his own coach and has paid it forward by coaching younger athletes. 

Diana Taurasi, Basketball: This one is admittedly somewhat unlikely since Sue Bird was the women's flagbearer in Tokyo.  Tauarsi's the one who stuck around for another Olympics, though, and she has a chance to set a record with a sixth gold medal in a team sport.  The women's basketball final is the day of the Closing Ceremony, so, should the U.S. win, maybe Taurasi carries the flag there instead?

Simone Biles, Gymnastics: Simone was the flagbearer at the Closing Ceremony in Rio, and her struggles in Tokyo were well-documented.  The fact that she's back is inspirational enough.  The fact that she's better than ever, at an age that's considered "old" for a gymnast, truly shows her greatness.  We know a lot of people will be watching for her, but that's not the reason why she'd be a great choice.  Everything else is.

Katie Ledecky, Swimming: I understand that the chances of this actually happening are slim to none.  The Opening Ceremony is on Friday night and she'll have both a prelim and the final in the 400 freestyle on Saturday.  But that doesn't change the fact that Ledecky, one of the U.S. swim team captains, would be deserving if selected.  Maybe in LA, when swimming and track & field are flipped?

Maggie Steffens, Water Polo: While somewhat underappreciated because it doesn't have anywhere near the exposure as some other sports, the U.S. women's water polo team has dominated Olympic competition for a decade.  They've won three straight gold medals, and team captain Maggie Steffens has been a big part of that.  She's the all-time leading goal scorer in Olympic history.

Helen Maroulis, Wrestling: In 2016, Helen Maroulis became the first American ever to win an Olympic gold medal in women's wrestling.  In 2021, she moved up in weight class and earned a bronze to become the first American female wrestler with two Olympic medals.  In 2024, she became the first American female wrestler to make three Olympic teams.  She's making history for the third straight Olympics, yet not a lot of people know about her.  Carrying the flag in Paris would certainly go a long way towards changing that.

Since three of the women I mentioned are competing on the opening weekend and may not even attend the Opening Ceremony, that really narrows it down to just Taurasi and Maroulis.  And, I know what I said about Bird carrying the flag in Tokyo.  It's not a rule that you can't have someone from the same sport twice in a row, though, which is exactly what I think will happen.

On the men's side, I'd love to see it be either Ellison or Hancock.  They're my two favorites among the five I listed.  Ellison will have actually already started competition before the Opening Ceremony (I have no idea why, but the fencing ranking round is on Thursday).  He has two days off after the Opening Ceremony, though, so he should be able to attend...especially if he's selected as the flagbearer.  And, for me, he gets the nod.

Who will it actually end up being?  I have absolutely no idea!  My correct guess of John Schuster and Elana Meyers Taylor for the 2022 Winter Games was probably blind luck more than anything else!  I wouldn't be upset if it is Taurasi and Ellison, though.  I think they would both make fine choices, should they get the nod.