FL Speedskater Brittany Bowe To Serve As Olympic Flag Bearer

FLORIDA — A Florida athlete will take center stage to carry the United States flag during the opening ceremony of the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics on Friday.

Brittany Bowe, 33, of Ocala confirmed via Instagram that she will serve as a flag bearer after four-time Olympic bobsledder, Elana Meyers Taylor, was recently diagnosed with COVID-19.

"Congratulations to Elana Meyers Taylor and John Shuster for being elected Team USA’s flag bearers!" she posted. "Unfortunately, Elana has tested positive for Covid here in Beijing and won’t be able to walk in the opening ceremonies."

"I will be taking on this responsibility, and will proudly carry the American flag alongside John, on behalf of Elana, her family, and all of Team USA!" she continued.

Bowe will be among the more than 150 athletes on the 2022 U.S. Olympic Team set to walk in the opening ceremony at National Stadium.

Via social media, Meyers Taylors said she was honored to have Bowe, a three-time Olympian, walk in her place.

"While I cannot carry the flag and walk in with the rest of Team USA, Brittany is very deserving of the opportunity to lead our delegation on my behalf," she said. "She is an incredible person with an exemplary character, and I'm excited to watch her and John lead Team USA at the Opening Ceremony. I'm honored to be a part of this team, and coming from a military family, it's really special to have been chosen to carry our flag."

Bowe, a 2018 Olympic bronze medalist, received the second most votes of her peers and will join Shuster in leading Team USA into the stadium at the opening ceremony, which serves as the official start to the games, Olympic officials said in a news release.

The United States will be the 56th country to enter National Stadium and China, the host, will be the last to close out the ceremony, Team USA said.

NBCUniversal will present the Winter Olympics on NBC, Peacock, USA Network, CNBC, NBCOlympics.com and the NBC Sports app of the XXIV Olympic Winter Games from Beijing, China.