LONDON — The mother of fencing star Mariel Zagunis pushed up her flight by two days and frantically packed her bags to make sure she gets to London in time.

After all, it’s not every day her daughter leads the U.S. team in the opening ceremony of the Olympics.

So Cathy Zagunis threw her things together Thursday at her home near Portland, Ore., still overwhelmed with emotion a day after her daughter called with the news. The proud mom is intent on getting to Olympic Stadium to see the two-time gold medalist serve as flag-bearer Friday night — and the U.S. Olympic Committee swiftly secured her a hard-to-get ticket for an event that could draw an upward of 1 billion viewers worldwide.

“I’m speechless is the problem,” Cathy Zagunis said by phone, fighting tears. “I’m still in quite a bit of shock. It’s an incredible honor to represent your country, but to be the single person at the opening ceremony holding the American flag is an amazing thing.” Zagunis will lead the 530-member U.S. team — 269 women and 261 men. She was voted the honor by team captains.