One of Chester County's best will stand alongside one of the greatest swimmers ever as they lead Team USA into the 2024 Paris Olympics Closing Ceremony.
🇺🇸 Team USA announced Thursday that Strafford, Pennsylvania, native Nick Mead -- fresh off gold in the men's four rowing event -- will be a flagbearer alongside legendary swimmer Katie Ledecky.
CLOSING U.S. OUT 🇺🇸
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 8, 2024
14x Olympic medalist @katieledecky and Olympic gold medalist Nick Mead will lead Team USA as flag bearers at the Closing Ceremony!#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/fzpCdSIgoN
Mead joked that to really represent "rowing as best as possible" would be to first get a haircut.
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From the Schuylkill River to Olympic glory. Mead -- along with fellow Pennsylvania native Justin Best and Michael Grady -- rowed the U.S. men's four boat to the United States' first gold in the event since the 1960 Games.
"We had the confidence that we could do this," the Princeton University alum said after the race. Mead said that the team had just "clicked."
In the days since they won gold, Best got engaged on live TV and the whole team even got to meet Elmo.
“Elmo’s so proud of you.” 🥹
— USRowing (@usrowing) August 8, 2024
🎥: @elmo @sesamestreet #Paris2024 pic.twitter.com/MLTEvkDcHo
Now for Mead -- an alum of Episcopal Academy in Newtown Square -- he will stand alongside arguably the GOAT of women's swimming (Ledecky has won 14 Olympic medals) as they lead Team USA into Sunday's Closing Ceremony.
Ledecky was emotional while receiving the news.
.@katieledecky answers the call 🫡
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) August 8, 2024
The 14x Olympic medalist receives the news from @Robert_Finke that she’ll be one of Team USA’s flag bearers at the Closing Ceremony. 🇺🇸#ParisOlympics pic.twitter.com/bvTYp1eHxv
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