Slalom canoeist Jess Fox and hockey participant Eddie Ockenden have been chosen as Australia’s flag-bearers for the Paris Olympics opening ceremony.
The opening ceremony, that includes the parade of athletes, shall be held on the Seine on Saturday morning, Australian time.
Fox shall be competing at her fourth Olympics, having made her debut as an 18-year-old on the 2012 London Games.
She gained silver within the ladies’s K1 canoe slalom in London and has since added three extra medals to her tally, together with a gold within the C1 occasion on the Tokyo Olympics.
ABC Sport shall be reside running a blog day-after-day of the Paris Olympics from July 27
Ockenden shall be showing at his fifth Olympics.
He helped the Kookaburras win bronze within the males’s hockey on the 2008 and 2012 Games, and was a member of the squad that claimed silver in Tokyo.
Fox, who was born in Marseille earlier than transferring together with her household to Australia when she was 4, mentioned she was overwhelmed to be requested to hold the flag.
“It’s probably the greatest moment of my career,” Fox mentioned.
“Obviously that French connection is very strong and it’s such a wonderful, special, unique moment to be able to bring my two cultures together: the French, the Australian.
“To lead us out and current us to Paris, current us to the world … visualising these unbelievable moments over the following two weeks that may occur, simply provides me goosebumps.”
Ockenden, 37, said he was humbled to be sharing the honour with Fox.
“It’s actually, actually laborious to kind of describe the way it feels,” Ockenden mentioned.
“The solely factor I can consider is I’m simply full of a lot gratitude. I am unable to imagine that I’m right here truthfully.”
Ockenden will become the first Australian hockey player to compete in five Olympics.
The Kookaburras are among the medal favourites in Paris as they chase their first gold medal since the 2004 Athens Games.
Fox and Ockenden were announced as flag-bearers by Australian chef de mission Anna Meares at a special ceremony at the Paris Mint on Wednesday evening, Australian time.
Each nation will have its own boat to carry the athletes for the six-kilometre journey during the parade of athletes, which will finish in front of the Trocadéro.
It will be the first time the opening ceremony is not held inside a stadium in Summer Olympics history.
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