TOKYO, Japan – Jamaica’s two-time Olympic Games 100m champion Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce was among track and field athletes acting as flag-bearers for their countries at Friday’s (23) Tokyo 2020 opening ceremony.
Fraser-Pryce won back to back Olympic Games 100m titles in Beijing 2008, her first games, and London 2012. She took bronze at the Rio 2016 event.
Donald Thomas (Bahamas), Kelly-Ann Baptiste (Trinidad and Tobago), Cejhae Greene (Antigua and Barbuda), Levern Spencer (St Lucia), and Kyron McMaster (BVI) were among other Caribbean (English speaking) athletes to perform the prestigious duties.
Thomas, the 2007 world high jump champion, carried the flag for the Bahamas, and Deagu 2011 World Championships 100m bronze medallist Kelly-Ann Baptiste, in her fourth games, for Trinidad and Tobago.
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Heptathlon Olympic winner Nafissatou Thiam and World indoor triple jump champion Hugues Fabrice Zango (Burkina Faso) were among the world stars.
According to World Athletics, 69 athletes from the sport had this honour as, for the first time, nations were allowed two rather than one to carry their flag.
Also from athletics present were Amel Tuka, Sandra Perkovic, Yaime Perez, Luiza Gega, Churandy Martina, Olga Rypakova, Milan Trajkovic, Caterine Ibarguen, Marie-Josee Ta Lou, Alonso Edward, Joseph Fanbulleh, Sara Petersen and Mujinga Kambundji.