Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Shelley Osterloh ReportingOne of the top honors awarded an Olympic athlete is to be selected to carry the American flag and lead the U.S. delegation into opening ceremonies.
That choice was made this morning. The athlete is a five time Olympian, a gold medalist from 2002, a speedskater who lives in Utah. We recently featured her as one of "Our Olympians." As you may have guessed, it's Chris Witty.
It's a great honor, especially because she was selected by her own teammates.
The Utah resident has an impressive record. She is only the ninth U.S. Olympian to compete in both winter and summer games. She captured a gold medal and the world record time in the 1000 meter in 2002 in Salt Lake City. In 1998 she was the only U.S. speedskater to win a medal and she got two bronze.
Plus, we followed her in Sydney when she placed fifth in her second sport of choice -- cycling.
I spoke with Witty earlier, and she always feels honored to represent the U.S.
Chirs Witty/US Flag Bearer for Opening Ceremony: "I don't know, I've just always wanted to be part of the Olympics. It's my fifth, but every time is an honor. I don't take it for granted. I'm just happy to be part of my fifth Olympics."
Witty lives in Salt Lake City, where she owns a home and trains at the Utah Speedskating Oval.
