Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi went viral at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when he shared gold in the men’s high jump.
Less than 24 hours into the 2024 Paris Olympics, Tamberi has found himself back in the headlines — but this time for a different reason.
The three-time Olympian on Saturday issued an apology via social media to his wife, Chiara Bontempi, after losing his wedding ring during Friday’s opening ceremony on the Seine river, where he was the Italian flag bearer. As noted by ABC News, the two have been married for two years.
‘I’m sorry my love, I’m so sorry. Too much water, too many kg lost in the past few months or maybe the uncontrollable enthusiasm of what we were doing,’ Tamberia said. ‘ …. I followed her with a glance until I saw her bouncing inside the boat. A Glimmer of Hope … But unfortunately the bounce was in the wrong direction and floating more than a thousand times in the air I saw her dive into the water like that was the only place she wanted to be.
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‘But if it was meant to happen, if I’m really going to lose this faith, I couldn’t imagine a better place. It will stay ever in the riverbed of the city of love, flown away while I tried to carry the Italian tricolor as high as possible during the opening ceremony of the most important sporting event in the world.’
Tamberi went on to say that Friday’s events can serve as an opportunity to renew his vows with his wife and inspiration to come home ‘with even bigger gold.’
‘I think there might be a huge poetic side to yesterday’s misdeed, and if you want, we’ll throw yours into the river, too, so they’ll be together forever,’ Tamberi said. ‘And we’ll have one more excuse to, like you’ve always asked, renew our vows.’
The 2024 Paris Olympics is the third Olympic Games that Tamberi is competing in for Italy. Tamberi was part of one of the biggest storylines of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, when he shared gold with Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim in the men’s high jump. Both jumped 2.37 meters in the air.
With the gold medal finish, Tamberi became just the second Italian to win gold in the high jump at the Olympic Games, joining Sara Simeoni, who won gold at the 1980 Moscow Olympics.
Track and field competition does not start in Paris until Thursday, Aug. 1, with the men’s and women’s 20-kilometer race walk. Men’s high jump starts on Wednesday, Aug. 7, where Tamberi is favored to defend his gold medal.
This time, as he did in Tokyo, he will do so without a ring on his finger.
