Purdue's Kara Winger Selected as USA Flag Bearer for Tokyo Olympics Closing Ceremony
Former Purdue javelin thrower Kara Winger was selected by a vote of Team USA athletes to be the flag bearer at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Closing Ceremony on Sunday.
Kara Winger has been selected to represent @TeamUSA as the flag bearer for the #TokyoOlympics closing ceremony. 🇺🇸 pic.twitter.com/wHRaFwETem
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) August 6, 2021
Winger, a four-time Olympian, was named a captain of the U.S. track and field team Despite never earning a medal at the Olympic Games. She represented the United States in the javelin throw in Tokyo, finishing eight in Group A with a throw of 59.71 meters Monday, good for 17th overall in the qualifying event.
Winger owns the Purdue school record in the javelin throw with a distance of 61.56 meters in 2008. She also once held the American record in the event, having thrown 66.67 meters in 2010.
She is a 2009 Purdue graduate and competed at her fourth Olympic Games. Winger is an eight-time USATF national champion and has competed at five IAAF World Championships.
At the NCAA Championships, Winger won silver in the javelin in 2009 and was fifth in 2008, and she is a two-time Big Ten Outdoor Athlete of the Year. She won Big Ten titles in the javelin in 2005, 2008 and 2009.
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.