When it comes time for Tuvalu to march into the opening ceremony of the Rio Olympics on Friday, there will be no suspense about who is carrying the South Pacific island nation's flag: sprinter Etimoni Timuani is the only member of Tuvalu's Olympic team.
It's quite a different story for the 554-member United States delegation, though. Any one of them could make a case for the honor, but it usually takes a special person (often with a special story) to be selected for the duty in a vote of each sport's team captain.
MORE: 31 Greatest American Olympians | How to watch the Rio Olympics
Here are the most likely possibilities to lead the U.