In a twist of fate that could only happen in the City of Love, Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi found himself in a predicament during the historic Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony.
As one of Italy’s flag bearers, Tamberi was aboard a barge on the Seine, participating in the first-ever outdoor Olympic opening ceremony, when a moment of panic struck. His wedding ring slipped off his finger and disappeared into the river’s depths, reports Paris 2024 Olympics.
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Following the loss, the 32-year-old world champion and defending Olympic gold medalist took to Instagram to issue a heartfelt apology to his wife of 22 months, Chiara Bontempi Tamberi.
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In his poetic post, Tamberi described the moment:
“I heard it parade, I saw it fly…. 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,” a translated version of Tamberi’s heartfelt apology reads.
Tamberi attributed the mishap to a combination of factors, including “too many kg lost in the past few months,” or “maybe the uncontrollable enthusiasm of what we were doing,” wrote the athlete.
Tamberi was waving the Italian flag high alongside fencer Arianna Errigo when the incident occurred.
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Despite the loss, Tamberi managed to find a silver lining, writing:
“If it was meant to happen…I couldn’t imagine a better place. It will stay forever in the riverbed of the city of love, flown away while I carried the Italian tricolor as high as possible during the opening ceremony of the most important sporting event in the world.”
“If I had to invent an apology I would never have been this imaginative,” he added.
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Tamberi romantically went on to suggest to his wife: “If you want, we’ll throw yours into that river, too, so they’ll be together forever, and we’ll have one more excuse to, like you’ve always asked, renew our vows and get married anew.”
Chiara responded to her husband’s apology with affection, commenting, “Only you could turn this into something romantic.”
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As Tamberi prepares for the men’s high jump qualifying round on August 7, he’s taking this unexpected event in stride, hoping it might be “auspicious to come home with even bigger gold!!!”
The Paris 2024 Olympics Opening Ceremony, which broke tradition by taking place on the Seine rather than in a stadium, involved 85 boats carrying 205 delegations, with Italy sharing a vessel with Israel and Iceland.
Despite the ring mishap, Tamberi and Errigo successfully represented their nation, raising the Italian flag to the cheers of their fellow delegates and millions of viewers worldwide.
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Feature Image: Instagram / @gianmarcotamberi
