PARIS, July 27 (Xinhua) -- The drama is set for men's high jump Olympic champion Gianmarco Tamberi at the Paris Olympics, as the Italian flagbearer has hopes to win gold after having lost his wedding ring in the River Seine during Friday's Paris 2024 opening ceremony.
"If it had to happen, if I had to lose this ring, I couldn't imagine a better place. It will rest forever in the riverbed of the city of love, flown away as I tried to carry the Italian flag as high as possible during the opening ceremony of the most prestigious sporting event in the world," Tamberi wrote in an open letter of apology to his wife on social media.
For the first time in Olympic history, the opening ceremony took place outside the host city's main athletics stadium. From the Austerlitz Bridge to the Trocadero, around 6,800 athletes, following their flagbearers, cruised down a 6km stretch of the Seine on 85 boats.
"Too much water, too many kilograms lost over the last few months, and perhaps the uncontrollable enthusiasm of that moment. Probably all three things," further explained Tamberi, who shared the task of bearing Italy's flag with fencer Arianna Errigo during the rainy ceremony.
"I'm sorry my love, I'm really, really sorry," he wrote, "If I had to invent an excuse, I could never have been so imaginative."
In a romantic gesture, Tamberi even invited his wife to throw her ring into the Seine too, as the opening ceremony featured many elements of love, culminating in a performance by superstar Celine Dion singing a French love-themed anthem by Edith Piaf.
"Then they'll be together forever," Tamberi mused, "and we'll have one more reason to renew our vows and marry again."
The charismatic Olympian is no stranger to dramatic moments. When he clinched the gold medal at the European Athletics Championships in Rome last month, he playfully pretended to be injured and hid springs in his shoes before jumping into the arms of Italian President Sergio Mattarella.
And at the Tokyo Games, when Tamberi shared gold with his opponent and good friend Mutaz Barshim, it marked the first joint Olympic podium in athletic since 1912. He celebrated wildly on the track, capturing global attention.
As the men's high jump competition is scheduled on August 7, Tamberi is considered a strong contender for another gold.
"Hopefully this is a sign that I'll return home with an even bigger gold medal," he reflected on his lost ring. ■