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U.S. flag falls during Serena Williams’s gold-medal ceremony at Wimbledon (PHOTO)

LONDON — It was a blustery day at Wimbledon on Saturday, as Serena Williams blew through Maria Sharapova in straight sets (6-0, 6-1) to win Olympic gold in women's tennis singles.

The wind continued through the medal ceremony, testing how secured the nations' flags were as they rose above Centre Court. Alas, Old Glory didn't pass that test:

As "The Star-Spangled Banner" played, the crowd gasped as the American flag broke free of its crossbar and floated down behind a purple barricade between the stands and the court.

That left the flags of Belarus (bronze medalist Victoria Azarenka) and Russia (Sharapova) dangling above the medal podium. The champions shared a laugh on the podium at the unexpected visual. After winning gold, Williams acknowledged the windy conditions.

This became the most awkward moment of the women's final, replacing the previous leader, aka the dude who screamed "MARIA, I STILL WANT TO MARRY YOU!" as she was getting demolished in the second set by Williams ...

A question we're sure many Americans are asking: Should the IOC or London Olympic officials apologize for this?

[ Photos: Serena Williams crushes Sharapova to win gold ]

While the whole "destroy the flag if it hits the ground" is an urban myth, the official flag code (via The American Legion) states that "the flag should not touch anything beneath it, including the ground."

h/t to David Wilson for the image.

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