Italy flagbearer Gianmarco Tamberi will be hoping for better luck at the Paris Olympics after losing his wedding ring during the opening ceremony.
The 32-year-old, who famously shared the Olympic gold medal with Qatar’s Mutaz Barsham in the high jump at Tokyo 2020, was helpless to prevent his marital band sinking into the River Seine.
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Tamberi held Italy’s flag down the River Seine during the Olympic opening ceremonyCredit: PA
Awful weather conditions wreaked havoc in Friday’s ceremony, with athletes left soaked, while Lady Gaga’s back-up performer slipped on stage as a result of the rain.
And Tamberi, who is also the reigning World and European champion, was also affected by the downpour in the French capital.
Leading the pack as Italy’s flagbearer alongside fencer Arianna Errigo, Tamberi has revealed the City of Love is now home to his wedding ring.
It saw him issue a grovelling apology to wife Chiara Bontempi Tamberi, where he hilariously shared an image of himself mocked up as Frodo Baggins from the Lord of the Rings.
Taking to Instagram, he wrote: “I’m sorry my love. 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.
“A tinkle of hope… but unfortunately the bounce was in the wrong direction and floating more than a thousand times in the air I saw it dive into the water as if that was the only place where it wanted to be.
“A few moments that lasted forever. But if it really had to happen, if I really had to lose this faith, I couldn’t imagine a better place.
“It will remain forever in the riverbed of the city of love, flown away while I was trying to raise the Italian tricolour as high as possible during the opening ceremony of the most important sporting event in the world.
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Tamberi photoshopped himself as Frodo as he apologised to his wife on social mediaCredit: Instagram / @gianmarcotamberi
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His wedding ring sunk to the bottom of the River Seine on FridayCredit: Instagram / @gianmarcotamberi
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The high jumper has given his partner his permission to throw her ring into the riverCredit: Instagram / @gianmarcotamberi
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Tamberi is the reigning Olympic, World and European high jump championCredit: AFP
“If I had to invent an excuse I would never have been so imaginative.
“I think there could be a huge poetic side behind yesterday’s misdeed and if you want we will also throw yours into that river so that they will be together forever and we will have one more excuse to, as you always asked me, renew our vows and get married again.”
He concluded his message by writing: “May it be a good omen to return home with an even bigger gold!”
Team GB legend Paula Radcliffe previews the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris
And Tamberi will be hoping to claim a second successive Olympic gold medal when he defends his title on August 7 at Stade de France.
His triumph in Japan three years ago will long live in the memory of fans after he and Barsham agreed to share the ultimate prize after both jumping 2.37m.
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