FLAG DAY: Nick Mead competing for the U.S. men’s four this spring. Former Princeton University rowing standout Mead ’17 helped the U.S. boat take gold at the Paris 2024 Olympics. It marked the first time the Americans had won the event since the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. Mead was later named as one of the two flag bearers for Team USA at the Closing Ceremony along with nine-time Olympic gold medalist women’s swimming star Katie Ledecky. (Photo by Row2k, provided courtesy of USRowing)

By Bill Alden

Capping a historic run at the Paris 2024 Olympics for current and former Princeton University athletes, U.S. rowing star and gold medalist in the men’s four, Nick Mead ’17, served as one of the two flag bearers for Team USA at the Closing Ceremony of the Games last Sunday.

Mead was joined by nine-time Olympic gold medalist women’s swimming star Katie Ledecky leading Team USA into Stade de France to close out a memorable Games.

Mead and Ledecky were chosen by a vote of fellow Team USA athletes through a process led by the Team USA Athletes’ Commission, which serves as the representative group and voice of Team USA Athletes. They are the first duo to share the honor of leading the delegation into the Closing Ceremony, which serves as the official close to the Olympic Games.

The pair walked into the Stade de France on Sunday evening, smiling broadly and clutching the flag together.

“It is an incredible honor to be selected as the flag bearer, and to represent the United States and the sport of rowing, which has never had an American flag bearer in the history of the Olympics,” said Mead reflecting on the honor. “To share this privilege with Katie makes it all the more special. My experience at the Paris Games has been the dream of a lifetime and I’m filled with immense pride, gratitude, and joy. I also wish to thank the city of Paris, and the entire country of France, for hosting an incredible Games. I’ll cherish these memories forever.”

Mead got freshly shorn as he prepared to have the eyes of millions on him at the Closing Ceremony.

“I did get the haircut,” said Mead in an interview with NBC as he walked into the stadium with Ledecky. “I went to the barber in the Olympic Village and they were very, very good to me.”

With Mead’s competition ending on August 1, he got the chance to attend events and hang around the village.

“It has been amazing to see people,” said Mead, who had competed in the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. “It has been really cool to meet all of these other athletes after Tokyo and not being able to mingle with all of the other great athletes. It has been an incredible experience.”

Mead enjoyed an incredible moment when, riding in bow, he helped the team of Justin Best, Michael Grady, and Liam Corrigan take first in men’s four at the Vaires-sur-Marne Nautical Stadium course. The gold marked the first for Team USA in the event since the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome. The foursome, which has rowed together for the last two years, was motivated by their almost-podium finishes at the Tokyo Games where Mead, Corrigan and Best were all part of the men’s eight that finished fourth, and Grady placed fifth in men’s four.

Mead’s gold medal marked the 35th for a Princetonian at an Olympic Games. Mead became the first Princeton men’s rower to win an Olympic gold medal since Chris Ahrens won gold in the eight with the U.S. in 2004, and he is the third Princeton men’s rower overall to win a gold medal.

In addition to Mead’s gold medal, former women’s open rowing star Hannah Scott ’21 also won gold as she helped Great Britain win the A final in the women’s quad sculls on July 31. Rising Princeton junior fencing standout Maia Weintraub earned the third gold medal for Tiger athletes as she helped the U.S. women’s foil team win its competition.

Former Princeton rowing star Tom George ’18 added to the Tiger medal haul as he competed for the Great Britain men’s pair that took second in their A final. Croatia won the gold with a time of 6:23.66 with the British earning silver as they came in at 6:24.11.

On Saturday, former Princeton University women’s water polo star goalie Ashleigh Johnson ’17 was looking to add another medal to go with her two golds as the U.S. faced the Netherlands in the bronze medal game. But Johnson and rising Tiger junior Jovana Sekulic came up short in the quest for the podium as the U.S. fell 11-10 to the Netherlands. Johnson recorded 10 saves in the defeat while Sekulic saw 13 minutes of action in the contest.

Johnson had won gold for the U.S at the Rio Olympics in 2016 and the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. It was the Olympic debut for Sekulic.

On August 6, former Princeton distance running standout Lizzie Bird ’17, competing for Great Britain, took seventh in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Stade de France in Paris, clocking a time of 9:04.35. Bird set a Great Britain national record with the time. Her mark was 15.33 seconds and two places better than her Tokyo finish three years ago in her Olympic debut.

Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi won the gold medal in the event, clocking an Olympic-record time of 8:52.76 while Uganda’s Peruth Chemutai earned silver in 8:53.34 and Kenya’s Faith Cherotich took bronze in 8:55.15.