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U.S. Flag Gets Blown Away At Tennis Medal Ceremony

One minute, the American flag was flying in the wind. The next, it was flying away.

That was the scene Saturday at Wimbledon, after Serena Williams won the gold medal in women's single tennis, beating Russia's Maria Sharapova.

It was a gorgeous day at Centre Court, with the sun shining on the athletes standing on the podium, and America's national anthem playing to end the medal ceremony. But then, the flag simply fell from its post.

Olympic staffers were quick to retrieve it. One even carried the flag around with Serena as she, Sharapova, and bronze medalist Victoria Azarenka of Belarus walked to each side of the court to pose for photos.

The flag misadventure comes 10 days after London Olympics officials angered the North Korean delegation by displaying the incorrect flag as their soccer team's players were introduced. The flag they put on the stadium's screen was that of South Korea.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Vickie Walton-James
Vickie Walton-James is Chief National Editor for NPR News. She oversees a desk of more than 40 reporters, editors and producers based in Washington, D.C., and in more than a dozen bureaus around the country. National Desk correspondents cover domestic breaking news and beats that include immigration, criminal justice and national security across all NPR platforms. Before assuming her current position in 2014, Walton-James was the network's Deputy National Editor and held other senior management positions.