Double Olympic Champion Helen Glover announced as flagbearer for the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony
Helen Glover will be joined by Olympic diver Tom Daley to carry the British flag as the Games begin under the shadow of Paris’ world famous postcard landmarks
Credit: Getty Images
Helen Glover (Marlow RC), racing for Team GB in the Women’s Four alongside Esme Booth (Leander Club/Stratford upon Avon BC), Sam Redgrave (Leander Club/Norwich RC) and Rebecca Shorten (Imperial College BC) is the first woman rower to have the honour of carrying the flag.
“I called my husband Steve (Backshall), I think he was crying,” said Glover. “I called my Mum who definitely cried. I haven’t spoken to my Dad yet. It’s a pinch-me moment, because I had four years out of the sport. From Rio to Tokyo, I had retired. If it wasn’t for that ambition to come back and to prove people wrong, and to do it with kids, I’d be watching on television.
“Imagine if you’d told me in the middle of Covid when I had two newborn twins and a toddler, that if I did all of this, I’d be leading out the team as a flagbearer? I just feel like it’s something I would never have believed.”
Matthew Pinsent famously carried the flag with his arm ramrod straight at the Sydney Games in 2000 – though Glover is happy to share the load with Daley.
“Maybe if my arm gets tired, I’ll let Tom do some of the heavy lifting,” she joked.
“A lot of the time, when I think about my Olympic memories, I have flashpoints of thinking about the flagbearer. I remember them, I recognise them. It’s that moment that’s consistent with each Games. It means a lot and I’ll probably get in touch with some of the guys who have done it before and ask for any tips.”
British Rowing Director of Performance and Rowing Team Leader in Paris, Louise Kingsley, said: “Several rowing athletes have been chosen as Team GB flag bearers over the years, most recently Mohammed (Moe) Sbihi in Tokyo 2020, so it’s fantastic that our sport is once again recognised and that Helen has been chosen alongside Tom Daley for Paris 2024.
“Not only is Helen a two-time Olympic champion, she’s also broken boundaries by proving that it’s possible to successfully return to the sport after having children. She’s a true ambassador for rowing, mothers and the Olympic movement and we hope that her family, athletes across Team GB and the whole Nation, enjoy seeing her and Tom Daley carry the flag and lead Team GB along the Seine at the opening ceremony.”
