2012 Summer OlympicsMedia MonsterTennisVideoWeird But True

American Flag Didn’t Stick Around For Serena Williams’ Medal Ceremony

It was a windy afternoon at Wimbledon. With the roof open at Centre Court, Serena Williams’ hair wasn’t the only casualty of the strong gusts.

Serena cruised by Maria Sharapova in straight sets (6-1, 6-0) to capture her first singles Olympic gold, becoming the fourth woman in history to complete the career “Golden Slam”. However, the day’s strong winds didn’t want the American flag to have anything to do with her victory, career accomplishment or the medal ceremony. The red, white and blue promptly blew away as the Star Spangled Banner rang through Centre Court.

“And the rocket’s red glare, the bombs bursting in air, gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.”

Alas, the flag was not still there. And you’ve gotta hand it to Williams, who took it like a champ. I’m almost glad the flag blew away, because it gave us this picture perfect reaction from the gold medalist.

The timing was almost too perfect. Maybe the British forces of nature are still bitter about the events of the late 18th century.

[WGBH]