Double Olympic champion Sifan Hassan (© Getty Images)
More than 50 athletes from the sport of athletics will carry the flags for their nation at the Closing Ceremony of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 on Sunday (8).
Ten days of competition, which included three world records, 12 Olympic records and 28 area records, came to a close with the men’s marathon on Sunday morning, with Kenya’s marathon great Eliud Kipchoge retaining his title.
Now his fellow Olympic gold medallists Sifan Hassan, Damian Warner, Pedro Pichardo and Peruth Chemutai will be among the flag bearers returning to Tokyo's Olympic Stadium as the 2020 Games come to a close.
For Hassan, the moment will cap an incredible performance in Tokyo, with the Dutch star having claimed an unprecedented medal treble of 5000m and 10,000m golds plus 1500m bronze over nine days.
“I am so happy and I cried during the medal ceremony,” the 28-year-old said after her 10,000m triumph on Saturday. “I actually realised that I am done, the Games are over.”
Warner’s victory had been secured on Thursday, when he became just the fourth man in history to break the 9000-point barrier to win the decathlon title. The Canadian’s 9018-point tally was one of the 12 Olympic records set at the Tokyo Games.
Portugal’s Pichardo, meanwhile, leapt to the triple jump title, setting one of the 151 national records achieved at these Olympics with his winning mark of 17.98m. In that same competition, the bronze medallist was world indoor record-holder Hugues Fabrice Zango and as a result, Burkina Faso became the 100th country to have won an Olympic medal in athletics.
For Chemutai, victory came in the 3000m steeplechase. Other medallists in Tokyo carrying their nation’s flag will be Ethiopia’s Selemon Barega, Grenada’s Kirani James, Kenya’s Timothy Cheruiyot and New Zealand’s Valerie Adams.
With the 2020 Games delayed a year due to the pandemic, athletes and fans now have only three years to wait until Olympic action returns in Paris in 2024.
Athletics flag bearers at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games Closing Ceremony
Listed in the order in which they will march. List correct at time of publication and may be subject to change.
Antigua and Barbuda (ANT) - Cejhae Greene (men’s 100m)
Andorra (AND) - Pol Moya (men’s 800m)
Italy (ITA) - Lamont Marcell Jacobs (men’s 100m and 4x100m)
Uganda (UGA) - Peruth Chemutai (women’s 3000m steeplechase)
Uruguay (URU) - Maria Pia Fernandez (women’s 1500m)
Ecuador (ECU) - Glenda Morejón (women’s 20km race walk)
Estonia (EST) - Maicel Uibo (decathlon)
Eswatini (SWZ) - Sibusiso Matsenjwa (men’s 200m)
Ethiopia (ETH) - Selemon Barega (10,000m)
Eritrea (ERI) - Nazret Weldu (women’s marathon)
Netherlands (NED) - Sifan Hassan (1500m, 5000m and 10,000m)
Guyana (GUY) - Emanuel Archibald (men’s 100m)
Canada (CAN) - Damian Warner (decathlon)
Gambia (GAM) - Ebrima Camara (men’s 100m)
Cuba (CUB) - Zurian Hechavarría (women’s 400m hurdles and 4x400m)
Grenada (GRN) - Kirani James (men’s 400m)
Kenya (KEN) - Timothy Cheruiyot (men’s 1500m)
Cote d'Ivoire (CIV) - Marie-Josee Ta Lou (women’s 100m and 200m)
Costa Rica (CRC) - Noelia Vargas (women’s 20km race walk)
Comoros (COM) - Fadane Hamadi (men’s 110m hurdles)
Congo (CGO) - Gilles Anthony Afoumba (men’s 400m)
Zambia (ZAM) - Sydney Siame (men’s 200m)
Djibouti (DJI) - Souhra Ali Mohamed (women’s 1500m)
Jamaica (JAM) - Demish Gaye (men’s 400m and 4x400m)
Sri Lanka (SRI) - Yupun Abeykoon Mudiyanselage (men’s 100m)
Saint Lucia (LCA) - Levern Spencer (women’s high jump)
Chinese Taipei (TPE) - Chen Chieh (men’s 400m hurdles)
United Republic of Tanzania (TAN) - Male Alphonce Felix Simbu (men’s marathon)
Czech Republic (CZE) Jakub Vadlejch (men’s javelin)
People's Republic of China (CHN) - Su Bingtian (men’s 100m and 4x100m)
Tuvalu (TUV) - Karalo Hepoiteloto Maibuca (men’s 100m)
Dominica (DMA) - Thea Lafond (women’s triple jump)
Trinidad and Tobago (TTO) - Andwuelle Wright (men’s long jump)
Namibia (NAM) - Beatrice Masilingi (women’s 200m)
New Zealand (NZL) - Valerie Adams (shot put)
Haiti (HAI) - Mulern Jean (women’s 100m hurdles)
Pakistan (PAK) - Arshad Nadeem (men’s javelin)
Panama (PAN) - Jorge Castelblanco (men’s marathon)
Bahamas (BAH) - Megan Moss (women’s 4x400m)
Paraguay (PAR) - Derlys Ayala (men’s marathon)
Barbados (BAR) - Tia-Adana Belle (women’s 400m hurdles)
American Samoa (ASA) - Nathan Crumpton (men’s 100m)
Virgin Islands, US (ISV) - Eddie Vovett (men’s 110m hurdles)
Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) - Amel Tuka (men’s 800m)
Botswana (BOT) - Anthony Pasela (men’s 4x400m)
Bolivia (BOL) - Angela Castro (women’s 20km race walk)
Portugal (POR) - Pedro Pichardo (men’s triple jump)
Honduras (HON) - Ivan Zarco Alvarez (men’s marathon)
South Africa (RSA) - Anaso Jobodwana (men’s 200m)
South Sudan (SSD) - Abraham Guem (men’s 1500m)
Republic of Moldova (MDA) - Andrian Mardare (men’s javelin)
Luxembourg (LUX) - Bob Bertemes (men’s shot put)
Rwanda (RWA) - John Hakizimana (men’s marathon)
Lesotho (LES) - Neheng Khatala (women’s marathon)
United States of America (USA) - Kara Winger (women’s javelin)
