Italian high jumper Gianmarco Tamberi already lost ‘gold' on the opening day of the Olympics 2024. The athlete has lost his wedding band. The incident took place during the athletes' parade at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics. Gianmarco Tamberi was the team Italy's male flag bearer at the ceremony. FYI: He shared the gold medal with Qatar's Mutaz Essa Barshim at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020. The 32-year-old was waving the Italian flag when the ring slipped from his finger and fell into the Seine River. In an elaborate note on Instagram, he has apologised to his wife Chiara Bontempi Tamberi. He said, “I'm sorry my love, I'm so sorry. Too much water, too many kilos lost in the last few months or maybe the irrepressible 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 it with my gaze until I saw it bounce inside the boat."
Gianmarco Tamberi continued, “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. A few moments that lasted an eternity. 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 forever in the riverbed of the city of love, flown away while I tried to carry the Italian tricolour as high as possible during the opening ceremony of the most important sporting event in the world. If I had to invent an excuse I would never have been this imaginative. 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 to new. I love you, my love. May it be auspicious to come home with even bigger gold!!!”
Replying to the post, Chiara Bontempi Tamberi said, "Only you could turn this into something romantic.” The couple exchanged vows in September 2022. Gianmarco Tamberi attached a picture from their wedding album.
Gianmarco Tamberi has also been in the news for competing with a half-shaven beard, which has become his "trademark" look.
