Olympic curling gold medallist, John Shuster, has shared the emotional moment he told his children that he was going to be one of Team USA’s flag bearers at the Winter Olympics.
On 3 February, NBC Olympics shared a Twitter post of Shuster on the phone with his two children and wife, Sara Shuster. In the video, the Olympian can be heard telling them that he’s going to be one of the flag bearers at the opening ceremony for the Winter Games in Beijing. His family is then shown celebrating and cheering Shuster on in response to the news.
The video then included footage of the Olympian’s son Luke sharing the exciting announcement with his third-grade class.
“Today this announcement is that my dad was picked to be the flag bearer of the United States,” Luke said, with an American flag in his hand at Great Lakes Elementary School in Superior, Wisconsin. After gasping in response to the news, Luke’s classmates then gave a round of applause.
As noted on USA Curling, Shuster is a two-time Olympic medallist. After winning a bronze medal in Turnin in 2006, he went on to win a gold medal in Pyeongchang in 2018.
Following the opening ceremony, Shuster reflected on the opportunity to lead Team USA while speaking with Today, where he said: “It was just incredible to get a chance to lead the entire delegation, our amazing delegation, into the stadium. Every time you walk into that opening ceremony stadium, it’s just a feeling of almost floating. It was incredible.”
“To get to lead all the rest of these amazing athletes ... we’re going to do us proud,” he added. “It’s one of the biggest honours that I’ve ever had bestowed upon me.”
Alongside Shuster, speedskater Brittany Bowe joined as the other flag bearer at the opening ceremony. Bowe was selected in replacement of bobsledder Elana Meyers Taylor, who couldn’t attend the event after testing positive for Covid.
"It’s funny, because I actually spoke with Elana earlier that day, knowing she had tested positive for Covid,” Bowe told Today. “So then to get called into the (US Olympic & Paralympic Committee) room for a phone call, and then it was Elana on the phone, presenting me with the honour of carrying the flag on her behalf - what an honour, a privilege. For once, completely at a loss for words.”
On Instagram, Shuster has documented a few moments at Bejing, including a post on 3 February that featured the room he’s been sleeping in.
“It may seem small, but this bed sure feels big without my wife, kids, and pups,” he wrote in the caption. “Miss you guys!”
