Italian Medalist Loses Wedding Ring In Seine River At 2024 Paris Olympics Opening, Wife Responds

Italian Olympic medalist Gianmarco Tamberi was enjoying the majestic sight of Paris and proudly holding the Italian flag in a boat over the Seine River, when he realised that his wedding ring slipped away from his hand. In seconds, the fun around the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony was tainted as he saw the ring bounce off the boat and sink into the Parisian river. Now, the gold medalist has taken to Instagram to share the incident and apologise to his wife Chiara Bontempi Tamberi, whom he married on September 1, 2022.

In a heartfelt post, Gianmarco Tamberi expressed regret at losing the ring. He speculated that since he lost many kgs in the past few months, the ring might have been loose on his fingers. This coupled with the excitement of the opening ceremony also might have moved the ring.

The Italian high jumper tried to give a romantic and more hopeful spin to the incident and said, “Hopefully this is a sign that I’ll come home with an ever bigger gold medal.” He wistfully wrote that the wedding ring “will stay forever in the riverbed of the city of love”. He also suggested that perhaps his wife should also throw her ring in the river and this way both rings would be “together forever”. The couple can then have an excuse to renew their vows and get married once again.

This wholesome post has gathered 9.5 lakh likes since it was shared on June 27. Gianmarco Tamberi accompanied this post with photos from his wedding and the 2024 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. His wife Chiara Bontempi Tamberi responded to this post by writing, “Only you can turn something like this into something romantic.”

Another person commented, “Legendary, turning a really unpleasant event into a declaration of love that doesn’t get more romantic.” Giulia Cicchine, a sports journalist, joked, “Come on Gianmarco, tell us the exact words you said when you saw the ring fly.” Someone tagged Chiara Bontempi Tamberi in a comment and wrote, “Hey Chiara Bontempi Tamberi, only accept if he gives you another one more expensive than the one you’re using.”

Gianmarco Tamberi first gained worldwide fame after he opted to share a gold medal with his competitor Qatar’s Mutaz Barshim at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Italian fans are now hoping that he wins another gold when the men’s high jump competition starts on August 7.