REVEALED: This is the one reason why Tennis star Coco Gauff was selected over swimmer and seven-time gold medallist Katie Ledecky. Fans of the tennis champion however disagree.

Coco Gauff is terrific choice” – Journalist clarifies reasons for American being picked over Katie Ledecky to be USA flag-bearer at Paris Olympics.

Coco Gauff was recently selected to be the female flag bearer of the United States at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Following her appointment, CNN and ABC News journalist, Christine Brennan clarified the reasons for the WTA star being picked over swimmer and seven-time gold medalist Katie Ledecky.

On Wednesday, via a post on X (formerly Twitter), Brennan explained that Ledecky shared she never planned to participate in the opening ceremonies because she competes the next morning. However, Brennan applauded the decision, saying Gauff is a terrific choice.

“Coco Gauff is terrific choice to be female US flag bearer. Worth noting that 4-time Olympian Katie Ledecky, the greatest woman swimmer in history, said she “never planned on going to opening ceremonies” because she competes the next morning. That took her out of the running,” Brennan tweeted.

She added that many athletes miss the opening ceremony because of the time commitment and energy involved. The 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony will be different from the traditional march into a stadium. Instead, athletes will parade on more than 90 boats along the Seine River for over three miles. The parade will end at the Iena Bridge, with the ceremony’s finale taking place at the Trocadéro.

“Many athletes miss the opening ceremony because of the tremendous time commitment that day. They are on their feet for hours. And this time they will be on the Seine and can’t escape as Michael Phelps did after bringing in the flag in Rio. Ledecky has the huge 400 freestyle Sat,” she added.

Coco Gauff will be joined by NBA star LeBron James, who will be the male flag bearer for the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games on Friday. The four-time NBA MVP has represented the United States in the Olympic Games on three occasions, winning bronze at the Athens 2004 Olympics, and gold at the Beijing 2008 and London 2012 Olympics.

The 2024 Paris Olympics is the first time Gauff is participating in the Olympic Games. The 20-year-old had already turned pro and entered the top 100 on the WTA ranking in 2020 when the Olympic Games were held in Tokyo. However, she did not participate after testing positive for COVID-19.

Impressively, Gauff has made great progress since then, reaching a career-high ranking of No. 2 on the WTA Tour, winning her maiden Grand Slam at the 2023 US Open, and also winning the 2024 French Open women’s doubles title with Kateřina Siniaková.Gauff will be representing America alongside other WTA stars like Jessica Pegula, Danielle Collins, Emma Navarro, and Desirae Krawczyk.