Wrestlers from eight nations served as flagbearers for their nation at the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic Games in London, England on Friday.

Included were some of the greatest wrestlers in the world, as well as some athlete who are not yet prominent on the international scene.
Carrying the flag for Japan was two-time Olympic champion and nine-time World champion Saori Yoshida, who competes in women’s freestyle wrestling at 55 kg.

Cuba’s flagbearer was 2008 Olympic champion and five-time World champion Mijian Lopez, who competes at 120 kg in Greco-Roman.

India’s delegation was led by flagbearer Sushil Kumar, a 2010 World champion in men’s freestyle.

Kazakhstan’s flagbearer was Greco-Roman wrestler Nurmakhan Tinaliyev, a bronze medalist at the 2011 World Championships at 120 kg.

Three of the wrestler flagbearers came from Africa: Anabel Laure Ali of Cameroon (women’s freestyle at 72 kg), Augusto Midana of Guinea-Bissau (men’s freestyle 74 kg) and Sinivie Boltic of Nigeria (men’s freestyle 96 kg).

Ali and Boltic were both fifth in the 2011 World Championships.  Midana is an African champion and won the Africa/Oceania Olympic qualifier.

One of the flagbearers have a strong affiliation with the United States. Maria Dunn of Guam, the nation’s flagbearer, attended college at Missouri Valley College in the USA.  She is competing in her second Olympic Games.

OLYMPIC FLAGBEARERS WHO ARE WRESTLERS
Cameroon – Anabel Laure Ali (women’s freestyle 72 kg)
Cuba – Mijian Lopez Nunez (Greco-Roman 120 kg)
Guam – Maria McQueen Dunn (women’s wrestling 63 kg)
Guinea-Bissau – Augusto Midana  (men’s freestyle 74 kg)
India – Sushil Kumar (men’s freestyle 66 kg)
Japan – Saori Yoshida (women’s freestyle 55 kg)
Kazakhstan – Nurmakhan Tinaliyev (Greco-Roman 120 kg)
Nigeria – Sinivie Boltic (men’s freestyle 96 kg)

List of flagbearers for the 2012 Olympic Games