GANGNEUNG, South Korea -- Speedskater Shani Davis didn't attend the opening ceremony of the Pyeongchang Olympics after losing a coin flip to carry the U.S. flag and lead American athletes into the stadium.
A U.S. Speedskating spokesman said Saturday that Davis originally planned to skip Friday night's festivities because of his training schedule but briefly reconsidered when he was nominated by his teammates to be the flag bearer.
Davis, who has appeared in every Olympics since 2002 and was the first black athlete to win an individual gold medal at a Winter Games, was tied with luger Erin Hamlin in voting by fellow athletes to carry the flag.