Javelin thrower Kara Winger has been chosen by her fellow athletes on Team USA to carry the American flag in the closing ceremony of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Sunday.
Winger, 35, competed in her fourth Summer Games and finished 17th. Her highest finish ever was 13th in 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, but she told NBC on Friday that perhaps she was chosen because she represents the Olympic spirit.
“I am in complete disbelief still. It’s insane, insane!” said Winger, one the two team captains for U.S. track and field. “Four-time Olympian, but never a finalist even, and not a medalist so it just feels incredibly — it’s such an honor to be this person that maybe represents that the point of the Olympics is about participation.”
Winger is from Vancouver, Wash., and attended Purdue. She placed fifth in the 2019 world championships.
–Field Level Media