Tomorrow, July 26, is the Opening Ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris. And while all eyes will be watching the spectacularly decorated boats floating down the Seine River, we’ll also be keeping a lookout for this year’s flag bearers for Team USA—a highly regarded role at the Games. This year’s U.S. female flag bearer is tennis star Coco Gauff, who is not only the first U.S. tennis player to receive the distinction, but also the youngest U.S. athlete to be chosen for the role at just 20 years old.
Gauff, who was selected through a vote by her fellow Team USA athletes, will wave the stars and stripes for the nearly 600 American competitors at this year’s Games. She’ll be joined by the male flag bearer, basketball star LeBron James, and follows in the footsteps of past female athletes granted this role—including speed skater Brittney Bowe at the 2022 Beijing Games and basketball player Sue Bird at the 2020 Games in Tokyo.
Here are five other facts to know about the tennis star as she preps to dominate at the Olympics and the U.S. Open tennis championship, which starts August 26.
1. This is her Olympic Games debut.
Despite her many accolades, this is Gauff’s first time competing in the Olympics, according to the USOPC.
2. Gauff is the youngest woman to win the U.S. Open since Serena Williams.
She won in 2023 at just 19 years old. Currently, she’s ranked No. 2 in the world in women’s singles tennis, per the Women’s Tennis Association.
3. She was named one of Time magazine’s “Woman of the Year” in 2024.
Gauff was recognized by Time for being a vocal leader and activist in America’s racial justice movement during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, when she was just 16.
4. She has a passion for style and fashion.
Gauff has mentioned her love of fashion and how she wants to incorporate more style into her career one day, possibly with her own clothing line. She’s also partnered with popular brands like American Eagle, New Balance (her clothing sponsor), and hair brand Carol’s Daughter. She recently announced her participation in American Eagle’s upcoming “Live Your Life” back-to-school campaign, and an upcoming product collaboration called “Coco Gauff x American Eagle” that will launch August 15.
5. Paris is one of her favorite cities.
It’s apt that Gauff’s first Olympic Games will be held in her favorite city. She previously told Roland Garros media team, “I love the Eiffel Tower and love the food. I like the language. Paris is the first city I visited out of the country. I visited when I was 10 and ever since then I loved it.”
Coco Gauff and LeBron James will lead the U.S. teams during the Opening Ceremony on July 26 at 7:30 p.m. local time in Paris, which you can watch live on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC.com, USA Network, CNBC, and E!. For more Olympics coverage, follow along with Well+Good’s Summer of Champions series.
