TEAM U.S.A. Flag Bearers
Throughout history, the Olympic & Paralympic Winter Games have given athletes a stage to display their talent, commitment, and patriotism. Amidst the various customs that embody the spirit of these events, the flag bearers emerge as a significant symbol of prestige and recognition. Delve deeper into the legacies of the flag bearers who have proudly represented Team U.S.A. at the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.
Jack Heaton’s Olympic career began with a silver medal in men’s alpine skiing at the St. Moritz 1928 Olympic Winter Games, followed by bronze in two-man bobsled in 1932 at the Lake Placid Olympic Winter Games. When the Olympic Winter Games resumed following World War II, Heaton was selected to carry the flag in the Opening Ceremony.
Bobsledder James Bickford competed in four Olympic Winter Games, winning the bronze medal in the four-man bobsled at the St. Moritz Games. Bickford was one of only three people to carry the flag more than once in the Opening Ceremony; four years later, he was honored as a flag bearer at the Cortina d’Ampezzo Olympic Winter Games in 1956.
A West Point graduate and U.S. Army veteran, Lyle’s accomplishments didn’t stop there. He continued on to compete for Team U.S.A. at his fourth and final Olympic Winter Games as a biathlon athlete. Lyle Nelson was selected as the U.S. flag bearer at Calgary’s 1988 Olympic Winter Games. He later would serve as the president of the U.S. Biathlon Association.
Competing in her eighth Paralympic Games, Candace Cable carried the U.S. flag in the Opening Ceremony for the 2002 Paralympic Winter Games. She competed as a racer in the Paralympic Games and as a downhill skier in the Paralympic Winter Games, winning 12 medals in total, including eight gold. Cable was later inducted into the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Hall of Fame.
In an attempt to cross-train, speedskater Chris Witty picked up cycling and joined the short list of Team U.S.A. athletes to compete in the Olympic Games and Olympic Winter Games. She competed at four Olympic Winter Games, winning one gold medal, one silver, and one bronze. She went on to also compete in cycling at the Sydney Games and was a flag bearer in 2006 at the Torino Closing Ceremony.
Cross-country skier Bill Demong won the gold medal in the 10km large hill event at the Olympic Winter Games in longtime girlfriend during a U.S. Ski and Snowboard Team House party. Moments later, Demong was told he had been selected as the U.S. flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony in Vancouver.
Downhill skier Heath Calhoun, who was injured while serving in the U.S. Army in Iraq, was chosen as the U.S. flag bearer prior to his first Paralympic Games.
Cross-country skier Todd Lodwick, the first U.S. athlete to compete in six Olympic Winter Games, was the flag bearer for the Opening Ceremony at the Sochi Olympic Winter Games. At Vancouver in 2010, Lodwick helped Team USA win the silver medal in Nordic combined.
Hockey player Julie Chu, a four-time Olympian and the second-most decorated U.S. female athlete in Olympic Winter Games history, was the U.S. flag bearer during the 2014 Olympic Winter Games Closing Ceremony.
Downhill skier Jon Lujan, who served two stints in the U.S. Marine Corps and was injured while serving in Iraq, was the flag bearer before his first Paralympic Games. He was the third consecutive veteran to carry the U.S. flag in the Paralympic Winter Games Opening Ceremony.
Having led Team USA to its second consecutive gold medal in sled hockey, goalie Steve Cash was the U.S. flag bearer for the 2014 Paralympic Winter Games Closing Ceremony.
Four-time Olympian Erin Hamlin, the first U.S. woman to win an Olympic luge singles medal at the Sochi Games, carried the U.S. flag in the Opening Ceremony after a controversial tiebreaker. In voting by the Team U.S.A. sports delegations, Hamlin and speed skater Shani Davis were tied; a coin flip was held to determine the flag bearer.
Snowboarder Mike Schultz, who engineered his own prosthetic design after his left leg amputation, carried the U.S. flag in the 2018 Opening Ceremony in PyeongChang where he won one gold and silver medal.
After winning five medals including two gold in skiing and biathlon, Oksana Masters carried the U.S. flag at the Closing Ceremony for the 2018 Paralympic Winter Games in PyeongChang.
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