Maine Olympian Frank Del Duca to serve as Team USA flag bearer for Opening Ceremony

Maine Olympian Frank Del Duca will be front and center on Friday as he serves as one of Team USA’s flag bearers at the Milan Cortina Olympics Opening Ceremony.

The bobsledder was chosen along with speed skater Erin Jackson to lead Team USA during the Parade of Nations. The news was announced earlier this week on “TODAY.”

Del Duca and Jackson were selected through a vote of fellow Olympic teammates led by the Team USA Athletes’ Commission.

“Erin and Frank embody the values of excellence and unity that define our Olympic Team, and we’re proud to have them lead Team USA onto the world stage,” U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee CEO Sarah Hirshland said in a statement.

Del Duca, a 34-year-old from Bethel, Maine, is a sergeant in the U.S. army stationed in Lake Placid, New York, and will become the first bobsledder to serve as a Team USA Opening Ceremony flag bearer in 70 years. He will chase his first Olympic medal in Milan Cortina after making his Olympic debut four years ago in Beijing, and he says this year’s Winter Games in Italy will be extra special.

“Being flag bearer for Team USA is an incredible honor,” Del Duca said. “It was also quite the surprise. I’m grateful for the support from my teammates, coaches and staff, Team USA, U.S. Army WCAP, family and friends, and everyone who has helped me on this journey.

“With the Olympic Games being held in Italy, it means even more. Nearly everyone in my family is of Italian descent. There is no greater honor than leading Team USA into the Opening Ceremony in Italy. It feels like a bridge between my family’s heritage, and the country I’m so proud to serve. I know my grandfather is watching over me saying, ‘Hey, Frangesch, way to go kid,’ and would be so proud.”

Del Duca is the sixth U.S. bobsledder to serve as an Olympic flag bearer.

Frank Del Duca, who competed in Beijing in 2022, is always gravitating toward the sport that pushed the limits of gravity.

Live coverage of the Opening Ceremony will begin at 2 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock. Primetime coverage will begin at 8 p.m. ET on NBC and Peacock.