Olympian Loses Wedding Ring in Seine During Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony
Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi made headlines during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony when he lost his wedding ring in the River Seine. As a flag bearer for Italy, Tamberi was overcome by the moment’s grandeur when the ring slipped off his finger and disappeared into the river.
Incident During the Opening Ceremony
Tamberi, along with 393 Italian athletes, participated in the ceremony’s unique parade along the Seine, marking a departure from the traditional stadium procession. The athlete, sharing flag-bearing duties with fencer Arianna Errigo, was trying to raise the Italian Tricolore as high as possible when his wedding ring flew off, bounced on the deck, and fell into the water.
Emotional Apology on Social Media
On Saturday, Tamberi took to Instagram to apologise to his wife, Chiara Bontempi Tamberi. His message, originally in Italian, explained the unfortunate incident:
“I’m sorry, my love. I’m so sorry,” he wrote. “Too much water, too many kilos lost in the past few months or maybe the uncontrollable enthusiasm of what we were doing. Probably all three things. The fact remains that I felt [my ring] slip away, I saw it fly… I followed her with a glance until I saw her bounce inside the boat.”
He continued with a reflective note on the poetic nature of the mishap, suggesting a unique way to turn the loss into a romantic gesture:
“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… If I had to invent an apology I would never have been this imaginative.”
Tamberi concluded, “I think there might be a huge poetic side to yesterday’s misdeed, and 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. I love you, my love. May it be auspicious to come home with even bigger gold!!!”