Team USA Flagbearer Coco Gauff Beams with Pride During Olympics Opening Ceremony: ‘Truly No Words’

The tennis champ made history as the youngest American flagbearer on Paris' Seine River

Coco Gauff is leading the way for Team USA!

The 20-year-old tennis star celebrated her 2024 Paris Olympics opening ceremony flagbearer debut on social media on Friday, July 26.

“What an honor… no words truly ❤️????????,” she captioned an Instagram carousel, adding “#olympics.”

Gauff’s first photo in the set was an image of her standing beside fellow Team USA flagbearer LeBron James as the two athletes kicked off the Parade of Nations.

“COCOOO you’re the coolest. ❤️,” American gymnast Suni Lee commented. 

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Lee, 21, was the 2020 Olympic all-around champion and uneven bars bronze medalist, and is competing again in this year’s games. 

Gauff shared videos of the boat ride on her Instagram Stories, as well as her page. In one, LeBron James could be heard saying, “Mama, we made it!” as the boat drifted toward the Eiffel Tower. The landmark features custom Olympic rings attached to it for the games.

During a press conference before the games, the 2023 US Open winner revealed to PEOPLE that her parents, mom Candi and dad Corey, learned of her Olympic duty before she did. 

Though Gauff found out she’d be a flagbearer on Wednesday, July 24, her parents had to give their names to security by July 23, allowing them to have first dibs on the great news. 

"I thought I was gonna surprise them on the phone, and [my mom] was like, 'Yeah, I already knew,' " Gauff said. "So I was like, 'Yeah, that's great.' But I'm glad that they'll be able to come and be here. I know they're excited."

“I was very emotional when I was talking to my mom about it,” Gauff continued. “I wanted to cry when I found out, but my whole team was there, so I went in the corner and did it. I truly am shocked, and I don't take it for granted, and I am going to try and take it all in, and I know this will be a memory I will remember for the rest of my life.”

Related: LeBron James Selected as Team USA's Male Flagbearer for 2024 Summer Olympics: 'An Absolute Honor'

Gauff later told PEOPLE that there was only one thing that made her slightly nervous about her honorary duty. 

After saying she didn’t think it was possible to mess up holding a flag, the 5-foot-9 athlete admitted she was “a little concerned about the height difference" between her and a 6-foot-9 James, 39.

"Is my arm going to be up here while he's holding it? I don't know. I thought it was two separate flags when I was looking at a picture. They hold it together, so I don't really know," she added.

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