Sochi, Russia • The United States has chosen six-time Olympian Todd Lodwick to be the team's flagbearer at Friday's opening ceremony for the Sochi Games.
Team USA announced the choice on Wednesday. Lodwick is competing in the Nordic combined in Sochi. He is the first American to compete in six Winter Games. Lodwick was part of the team that won silver in Vancouver in 2010.
The 36-year-old Lodwick's longevity made him the choice despite competing in a relatively low-profile event. The Nordic combined features athletes who compete in both the ski jump and cross-country skiing.
Lodwick was chosen over more famous American athletes, including snowboarder Shaun White and men's hockey captain Zach Parise.
Winter Olympics U.S. flag bearers
The United States flag bearers who participated in the opening ceremonies in past Winter Olympic Games with sport and site:
2014 Todd Lodwick, nordic combined, Sochi, Russia
2010 Mark Grimmette, luge, Vancouver, British Columbia
2006 Chris Witty, speedskating, Turin, Italy
2002 Amy Peterson, short-track speedskating, Salt Lake City
1998 Eric Flaim, speedskating, Nagano, Japan
1994 Cammy Myler, luge, Lillehammer, Norway
1992 Bill Koch, nordic skiing, Albertville, France
1988 Lyle Nelson, biathlon, Calgary, Canada
1984 Frank Masley, luge, Sarajevo, Yugoslavia
1980 Scott Hamilton, figure skating, Lake Placid, N.Y.
1976 Cynthia Nelson, alpine skiing, Innsbruck, Austria
1972 Dianne Holum, speedskating, Sapporo, Japan
1968 Richard T. McDermott, speedskating, Grenoble, France
1964 William D. Disney, speedskating, Innsbruck, Austria
1960 Donald J. McDermott, speedskating, Squaw Valley, Calif.
1956 James John Bickford, bobsled, Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy
1952 James John Bickford, bobsled, Oslo, Norway
1948 John R. Heaton, bobsled, St. Moritz, Switzerland
1936 Rolf B. Monsen, nordic skiing, Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Germany
1932 William Mead Fiske III, bobsled, Lake Placid, N.Y.
1928 Godfrey Dewey, President of Lake Placid Organizing Committee, St. Moritz, Switzerland
1924 Clarence John Abel, ice hockey, Chamonix, France