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Tennis star Coco Gauff will carry the U.S. flag at the Olympic opening ceremony

Published

2 years ago

July 24, 2024

Tennis star Coco Gauff will carry the U.S. flag at the Olympic opening ceremony

The tennis player Coco Gauff, seen here training ahead at Roland-Garros of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, will join LeBron James in carrying the U.S. flag during the opening ceremony.

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Clive Brunskill/Getty Images

PARIS — Tennis star Coco Gauff will be the female flag bearer for the United States at this week’s Olympic opening ceremony in Paris, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee announced Wednesday.

In Friday’s opening events, in which hundreds of U.S. athletes will appear on a boat as part of a procession down the River Seine through the heart of Paris, the 20-year-old Gauff will join basketball great LeBron James in carrying the American flag. Both Gauff and James were chosen by a vote of their fellow competitors on Team USA.

LeBron James during a friendly match earlier this month between the U.S. and Serbia. James, 39, will carry the U.S. flag at the Olympics opening ceremony.

Gauff will be the youngest ever U.S. flag bearer at an Olympic opening ceremony. (The gymnast Simone Biles carried the U.S. flag at the 2016 closing ceremony in Rio de Janeiro when she was 19 years old.) Gauff will also be the first tennis player to hold the honor.

“I never thought in a million years I would have the honor of carrying the American flag for Team USA in the Opening Ceremony,” Gauff said. “I could not be more proud to lead my teammates with LeBron as we showcase our dedication and passion on the biggest stage there is – at a moment where we can bring athletes and fans together from around the world.”

Gauff is currently ranked by the Women’s Tennis Association as the world’s second-ranked female player. She won the U.S. Open in 2023, her first Grand Slam title.

Emma Navarro of the United States celebrates after defeating compatriot Coco Gauff in their fourth round match at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London, Sunday, July 7, 2024.

This year marks Gauff’s first Olympic appearance after she was forced to withdraw from the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 when she tested positive for COVID-19.

In this summer’s Olympics, tennis will be held at Roland-Garros, the same legendary venue that hosts the French Open each year. Last month, Gauff reached the semifinal of that tournament, where she lost to No. 1-ranked Iga Swiatek, the Polish player who is the top seed — and gold medal favorite — in the Olympic singles event.

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Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Published

6 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Satellite images provide view inside Iran at war

Smoke rises over Konarak naval base in southern Iran on Sunday. The base was one of hundreds of targets of U.S. and Israeli forces throughout the country.

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Planet Labs PBC

Commercial satellite images are providing a unique look at the extent of damage being done to Iran’s military facilities across the country.

The U.S. and Israeli military campaign opened with a daytime attack that struck Iranian leadership in central Tehran. Smoke was still visible rising from Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s compound following the attack that killed the supreme leader.

An image by the company Airbus taken on Saturday shows the aftermath of an Israeli strike on Iran’s Leadership House in central Tehran. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the opening wave of attacks.

Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026

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Pléiades Neo (c) Airbus DS 2026

Israel and the U.S. have gone on to strike targets across the country. Reports on social media indicate that there have been numerous military bases and compounds attacked all over Iran, and Iran has responded with attacks throughout the Middle East.

U.S. forces have also been striking at Iran’s navy. In a post on his social media platform, President Trump said that he had been briefed that U.S. forces had sunk nine Iranian naval vessels. U.S. Central Command did not immediately confirm that number but it did say it had struck an Iranian warship in port.

An image captured on February 28 shows a ship burning at Iran's naval base at Konarak.

An image captured on Saturday shows a ship burning at Iran’s naval base at Konarak.

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Numerous satellite images show burning vessels at Konarak naval base in southern Iran. Images also show damage to a nearby airbase where hardened hangers were struck by precision munitions.

Hardened aircraft shelters at Konarak airbase were struck with precision munitions.

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And there was extensive damage at a drone base in the same area. Iran has launched numerous drones and missiles toward Israel and U.S. military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait and Qatar. Many drones have been intercepted but videos on social media show that some have evaded air defenses and caused damage in nearby Gulf countries. In Dubai, debris from an Iranian drone damaged the iconic Burj Al Arab, according to a statement from Dubai’s government.

Buildings at an Iranian drone base at Konarak were destroyed in the strikes.

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Iran’s most powerful weapons are its long-range missiles. The Iranian Revolutionary Guards have hidden the missiles deep inside mountain tunnels. Images taken Sunday in the mountains of northern Iran indicate that some of those tunnels were hit in a wave of strikes.

Following Khamenei’s death, Iran declared 40 days of mourning. Satellite images showed mourners gathering in Tehran’s Enghelab square on Sunday.

Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Esmail Baghaei told NPR on Sunday that Iran will continue to fight “foreign aggression, foreign domination.”

A White House official told NPR that Trump plans to talk to Iran’s interim leadership “eventually,” but that for now, U.S. operations continue in the region “unabated.”

A large crowd of mourners fill Enghelab Square in Tehran on Sunday, following the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

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Video: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

Published

16 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Video: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

new video loaded: What the Texas Primary Battle Means for the Midterms

The first battle of the midterm elections will be the U.S. Senate primary in Texas. Our Texas bureau chief, David Goodman, explains why Democrats and Republicans across the U.S. are watching closely to see what happens in the state.

By J. David Goodman, Alexandra Ostasiewicz, June Kim and Luke Piotrowski

March 1, 2026

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Mass shooting at Austin, Texas bar leaves at least 3 dead, 14 wounded, authorities say

Published

18 hours ago

March 1, 2026

Press Room

Mass shooting at Austin, Texas bar leaves at least 3 dead, 14 wounded, authorities say

Gunfire rang out at a bar in Austin, Texas, early Sunday and at least three people were killed, the city’s police chief said.

Austin Police Chief Lisa Davis told reporters the shooter was killed by officers at the scene.

Fourteen others were hospitalized and three were in critical condition, Austin-Travis County EMS Chief Robert Luckritz said.

“We received a call at 1:39 a.m. and within 57 seconds, the first paramedics and officers were on scene actively treating the patients,” Luckritz said.

There was no initial word on the shooter’s identity or motive.

An Austin police officer guards the scene on West 6th Street at West Avenue after a shooting on Sunday, March 1, 2026, in Austin, Texas.

Jay Janner/Austin American-Statesman via AP

Davis noted how fortunate it was that there was a heavy police presence in Austin’s entertainment district at the time, enabling officers to respond quickly as bars were closing.

“Officers immediately transitioned … and were faced with the individual with a gun,” Davis said. “Three of our officers returned fire, killing the suspect.”

She called the shooting a “tragic, tragic” incident.