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Who was the US flag-bearer in the Olympic Closing Ceremony?

Javelin thrower Kara Winger carried the American flag
Credit: AP Photo/Matthias Schrader

TOKYO, Japan — The Closing Ceremony capped the Tokyo Olympics this morning in Japan, and once again athletes representing every nation at the Games brought their national flags together for part of the display.

After basketball legend Sue Bird and baseball player Eddy Alvarez served as flag-bearers for the U.S. during the Opening Ceremony, a new athlete got a turn with the flag on Sunday in Tokyo.

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That athlete was javelin thrower Kara Winger. According to the Team USA website, she was selected in a vote by the rest of the U.S. Olympians.

Winger competed earlier this week, finishing eighth in her qualifying group for the javelin throw, which was not enough to advance her to the final of that competition. A four-time Olympian, she was a captain for the U.S. track team in Tokyo.

She is a perennial U.S. champion in the javelin, having won the national title every year from 2008-11 and again from 2014-18. Her personal best throw of 66.67 meters is the U.S. national record.

The 35-year-old is a Washington native who went to Purdue University in Indiana. She won gold at the Pan American Games in the javelin throw in 2019.

“It’s an incredible honor to be selected by my fellow Team USA athletes to be our flag bearer,” Winger told the Team USA site. “There’s no better way to conclude my career as an Olympic athlete than to lead the U.S. team into the Closing Ceremony. On behalf of Team USA, we want to thank the Tokyo Organizing Committee, the people of Tokyo and the country of Japan for hosting these Olympic Games and bringing the world back together again through sport.”

The Closing Ceremony occurred Sunday night in Japan, which was early Sunday morning in the U.S., and it will re-air on NBC at 8 p.m. ET on Sunday night.

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