Basketballer Lauren Jackson has officially handed the Australian Olympic flag over to cyclist Anna Meares this morning, after Meares was named our 2016 flag bearer for the opening ceremony in Rio.
Meares is a three-time Olympian, 2-time Olympic champion and has five Olympic medals to her name. She’s also a ten-time world champion across four different disciplines.
So we’re pretty confident she’s got the ‘merit’ required to take up the role!
Meares came back from an almost career-ending accident in January 2008, when she fell on the veladrome floor and suffered a fractured neck and dislocated shoulder, as well as torn ligaments.
She’s written a book about her journey, including how she finally beat her arch rival Victoria Pendleton to take the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
Cate Campbell was another favourite for the role, having broken the 100m freestyle record over the weekend.
Jackson will not compete at the 2016 Olympics, after suffering an ongoing injury. In 2012, she was the first woman in 20 years to carry the flag for Australia.