Fencer Flessel to be France's Olympic flag-bearer

Two-time Olympic fencing champion Laura Flessel will be France's flag-bearer at this summer's Olympic Games in London, French Olympic chief Denis Masseglia announced on Monday.

Flessel, who won individual and team golds at the 1996 Atlanta Games, will be competing in her fifth Olympics in the British capital, and was selected after a secret poll of the five representatives of the national Olympic committee.

The 40-year-old, who also won a silver and bronze in the individual event in 2004 and 2000, becomes the third female to be chosen as flag-bearer after swimmer Christine Carron in 1968 and athlete Marie-Jose Perec in 1996.